Saturday 12th October
There is not a confirmed answer to why fibromyalgia occurs, but it’s thought to be caused by the messages from the nervous system not being able to be processed properly. Some of the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia are diffuse pain throughout the body, poor sleep, lack of concentration or memory issues, extreme tiredness, or fatigue. In the UK, between 1.8 million and 2.9 million people are currently diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Here are some top tips for how you can help your fibromyalgia symptoms.
When you are experiencing tiredness or fatigued, being advised to exercise can seem anything but unrealistic. But exercise doesn’t have to last for hours or be an extreme heart rate inducing activity! Exercise can be tailored to your own current ability. Movement can help manage your symptoms of fibromyalgia and better your overall health.
Any and all kinds of movement could help, like a walk, run, cycle, swim…. Find what you enjoy and start there. A lot of people find swimming can be one of the most comfortable types of exercise as it reduces the weight and demand on your joints.
It is common for symptoms of fibromyalgia to go up and down in waves. The times when you feel good (which is great!), are the times to make sure you don’t overexert yourself! If you do too much, when the dips in how you feel occur, those dips can be made even worse. When your body is feeling well, it is normally because you have been well-rested and rejuvenated, so these times can be extended by not overdoing it in time of ‘good health’!
Think about the long game, plan to spread out the activities you have to do throughout the week, so you don’t have to do them all in one day or have to tackle too much on days when your body is telling you to rest. Aim to maintain a steady level of activity throughout the week. And remember, add time into your diary to rest and recover!
One of most common complaints, alongside the tiredness and fatigue, are sleep disturbances or difficulties sleeping. Here are some things you can try at home if you are having some sleep issues.
In the daytime, try to:
Keep A Consistent Routine – help your body’s natural body clock by getting up at the same time every day of the week
Get Some Morning Light – when you get up in the morning, help your body clock adapt to the morning by getting some light
Exercise In The Daytime – whether its walking, running, yoga, cycling….. just move your body everyday even if it’s only for 5 minutes!
Avoid Caffeine Late In The Day – drinking caffeine artificially stimulates your body to being awake, making you less receptive to your body’s natural signal that you need to sleep
Before bed, try to:
Keep A Regular Bedtime – just like in your morning routine, by creating a regular bedtime helps your body create a strong sleep-wake cycle
Unwind Before Bed – allow yourself to unwind 1 hour before bed by avoiding screens as the light (even dim light) from electronic devices interferes with your body clock
Minimise Your Alcohol Intake – while alcohol can help some people fall asleep, it does interfere with sleep quality and reduces the benefits of your sleep. Alcohol can create sleep problems later in life
Create A Comfortable Sleep Environment – create a space that is cool, dark and quiet, and that is completely separate from any home office space
