Fibromyalgia and Sleep

Sleep is one of the basic needs to live a healthy and happy life, without it anyone would struggle to function throughout the day how more so when you are already struggling with pain, maybe depression, mobility and a whole host of other symptoms of Fibromyalgia.

First of all, do everything you can do to get a good night’s sleep.  You should know by now that here at FMDH, we live by our hands on self-help, so we’re not going to tell you to go simply accept a lack of deep restorative sleep as a by product of having Fibromyalgia, no we’re gonna tell you to get moving and explore what is going on with you!   Don’t just lay there night after night wishing that you weren’t seeing every hour tick by.  You HAVE to find ways of managing your sleep, just as you would other aspects of your Fibromyalgia.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS

1. Make sure your bedroom is set up to sleep and relax and not some techno hub where you can view and control the world!  Got a computer in there?  Get it out!  Watching late night news that is bound to send you on a downward spiral of depression, ship it out!
2. Exercise, you should get some!  It will help you tenfold.  It’s not just us saying that, it’s the doctors, it’s the studies and ok, it’s us too!  We believe in exercise, because it helps us so much. Exercise rocks and so can you!
3. Take a relaxing warm bubble bath before you retire, get this into your routine so that your body begins to look forward to a lovely way to wind down after a long day.
4. Sex!  Get some!  It’s good for you, will make you feel great about yourself and it WILL help you sleep! CHECK IT OUT!
5. Avoid those day time naps!  Vicious cycle we know, you’re tired through little night time sleep, you try and catch up in the day and you can’t sleep at night! 
6. Check your meds with your doctor.  Explain your lack of deep restorative sleep and perhaps there’s a change that can be made!  Investigate.
7. Keep a sleep journal and chart just what is keeping you awake: food, pain, stiffness, money worries, relationship issues, whatever it is, if you journal it you will be able to pin point the problem(s) and deal with it!

Please, please, please!  Don’t just lay there and take it!  Get educated, take control and get some sleep!