3. Take Steps to Achieve Enough Good Quality Sleep
Fibromyalgia is a condition that’s known to disrupt sleep patterns, causing disturbed, poor quality sleep. A chronic lack of sleep leads to fatigue, irritability, poor concentration and a low mood – which can all also be a consequence of having the condition.
The pain associated with fibromyalgia can also mean that you can’t sleep, and not having enough sleep can make your response to pain worse – a vicious cycle. Added to that, fibromyalgia can also decrease your pain threshold, meaning that you feel pain more acutely.
So it’s very important to do all you can to get enough good quality, restorative sleep. Achieving good ‘sleep hygiene’ can mean that your quality of sleep improves. This means having a calming, restful night time routine that signals to your brain that it’s time for bed and to switch off.
The first step is to go to bed and wake at the same time every day, including at weekends. This helps to set your body clock into a routine of when to feel tired and feel awake. Also make sure that you avoid anything too stimulating in the hour or so before bed. This includes avoiding caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, large meals, rigorous exercise or watching stimulating TV. It also means avoiding using your smartphone, tablet or laptop due to the blue light emitted from the screens that tricks the brain into thinking its daytime.
