The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Fibromyalgia-Related Sleep Disorder Diagnosis & Treament Tips

Fibromyalgia-Related Sleep Disorder Diagnosis & Treament Tips

January 19, 2018 • By Vanessa Caceres

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
Jim Dowdalls/Science Source

Jim Dowdalls/Science Source

When a patient has fibromyalgia, sleep troubles are the last thing they need. Unfortunately, sleep problems affect a large number of fibromyalgia patients, and those problems can turn into a vicious cycle that interplays with daytime pain and fatigue.

You Might Also Like
  • Restoration of Sleep Physiology vs. Sedation for Sleep Disorders, Fibromyalgia
  • Fibromyalgia & Bipolar Spectrum Disorder: A Shared Pathophysiology May Lead to Better Drug Targets
  • Sleep Tips for RA Patients & Rheumatologists
Explore This Issue
January 2018
Also By This Author
  • Study: Pegloticase & Methotrexate Co-Treatment Helps Uncontrolled Gout

“Pain and sleep disturbances are a double-edged sword,” says Elika Kormeili, MFT, a licensed clinical psychologist in Los Angeles who helps treat patients with sleep problems. “The more pain you have, the more difficulty you have falling asleep and staying asleep. The less sleep you get, the more of a sleep deficit you have, which makes pain worse.”

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“It’s been well documented that a lack of sleep lowers one’s pain threshold and magnifies pain perception,” says Inchel Yeam, MD, an internist at the MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, Calif., and board-certified in sleep medicine, pulmonary disease and critical care medicine. “Anything that increases pain in fibromyalgia patients could be detrimental.”

Lack of sleep also makes fatigue, cognitive and memory issues worse in those with fibromyalgia. And as sleep problems worsen—if, for example, a patient with fibromyalgia develops regular insomnia—anxiety and depression can develop or worsen, too, Ms. Kormeili says.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Fibromyalgia has had such a long-time link with sleep problems, it was once considered a sleep disorder, says Raj Dasgupta, MD, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. That may not be the case anymore, but the two remain uneasy bedfellows.

There’s an increased awareness nowadays about sleep in general, and that’s prompting greater attention to sleep among those with fibromyalgia. “Most patients work hard, exercise and try to control their blood pressure, but there’s a whole eight hours at night that people forget [about],” Dr. Dasgupta says. “That’s why sleep is becoming more popular. More people are realizing that wellness is the big picture, and we need it at night and during the day.”

Diagnoses & Treatments

When a sleep specialist evaluates a fibromyalgia patient for sleep problems, they keep a few common problems in mind, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is a common sleep disorder among fibromyalgia patients, says Robert S. Rosenberg, DO, the medical director at the Sleep Disorders Center in Prescott Valley, Ariz., and author of the book The Doctor’s Guide to Sleep Solutions for Stress & Anxiety. Snoring can be an easy tip-off, but sleep specialists will perform a sleep study and consider symptoms.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Soft Tissue Pain Tagged With: Fibromyalgia, Pain, sleep deprivation, sleep disorderIssue: January 2018

You Might Also Like:
  • Restoration of Sleep Physiology vs. Sedation for Sleep Disorders, Fibromyalgia
  • Fibromyalgia & Bipolar Spectrum Disorder: A Shared Pathophysiology May Lead to Better Drug Targets
  • Sleep Tips for RA Patients & Rheumatologists
  • Poor Sleep Associated with Higher Risk of Chronic Pain

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)