Getting enough good quality sleep is essential for calming symptoms of fibromyalgia. Studies have shown that fibromyalgia patients often lack enough stage 4 deep sleep and when healthy people are deprived of this restorative stage of sleep, they start showing symptoms of fibromyalgia after only a few weeks.

There are pharmaceuticals, supplements and herbs that can effectively aid sleep. Some of these are quite harmless but others have side effects and are not wise to use long term. A holistic approach to health does not rely solely on medicines to optimise health but will use them sparingly and as required.  If you are desperate for some quality sleep then using these substances can be useful while you go through the process of improving sleep hygiene and addressing any root causes for your issues.

In many cases, sleep quality can be improved using lifestyle adjustments. This is commonly referred to as good sleep hygiene.

Changing habits, even relatively simple ones, can be quite challenging for human beings due to the nature of our brains and nervous systems. However, with a good strategy, determination and support, new healthy habits are possible and can be greatly beneficial. 

Generally speaking, habits are most likely to stick when they are small and relatively easy, so don’t try to implement too many changes at once. Instead, pick one or two things to do well and once they have become second nature, introduce another strategy.  Overtime, you will be able to crowd out poor sleep practices for healthy ones and you should be able to notice an improvement in your sleep quality.

These are my top tips for improving sleep for fibromyalgia:

• Determine if you have ‘Sympathetic Dominance’ and address this using therapies and stress management techniques.
• Set a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. This helps to regulate hormones and metabolism which will support stable energy levels and mood regulation.
• Have a relaxing bedtime routine.  Take time before bed to wind down in preparation for sleep. You could include some meditation, relaxing essential oils such as lavender, bathing, journaling or reading a book. Overtime this habit signals your brain to fall asleep easily once you hit the pillow.
  
• Reduce artificial light at night by keeping lighting levels low after dark.  Lighting stimulates your brain and hormones into thinking it is still daytime. Switch to lamps or candles once dinner is done. If you have trouble falling asleep, make sure the bedroom is dark and free from all sources of light.
• Get sunlight first thing in the morning. Ideally direct sunlight but otherwise as bright as possible. This tells your body it’s daytime and signals your hormones and mitochondria to provide energy and alertness.
• Reduce exposure to screens close to bedtime. Ideally get off all devises 2 hours before bed but as a minimum 30 minutes prior to bed. If you can’t avoid using devices after dark, turn them onto night mode to reduce the stimulating blue light emitted from the screens. TV screens typically emit high blue light so avoid them in the evening.
• Aim to have a room temperature that is slightly cold. Our bodies are programmed to experience a slight dip in core temperature in the evening. A bedroom that is too hot can result in a higher core body temperature which has been associated with a decrease in restorative slow-wave sleep and subjective sleep quality.
• Limit any possible distractions that might disturb your sleep during the night. Turn phones and iPads onto flight mode at night. Use noise cancelling earplugs.
• If you are electromagnetically sensitive, turn off your wifi modem and try turning off the electrical circuits that supply power to the bedroom.
• Allow yourself to get enough sleep. How many hours of sleep do you need to feel your best? 7, 8, 9 or more?  What time do you need to get up in the morning?  Work back from there to determine your bedtime. Stick to it and enjoy the luxury of getting enough sleep.
• Set reminders for yourself 30 mins and 10 mins before your scheduled bedtime to prompt you to stop what you’re doing and get ready for bed.
• Cut out caffeine and stimulating drinks in the afternoon.
• Alcohol and drugs (including cannabis) can compromise your sleep quality so avoid these.
• Limit any daytime napping to 30 minutes.
• Get some exercise during the day.
• Allow a few hours between eating and bedtime, and avoid nighttime snacking, especially stimulating foods like sugar and chocolate.  The exception to this is people who experience hypoglycemia. Low blood sugar levels can interrupt sleep through the night so some people will benefit from strategic nighttime snacking. However, getting your blood sugar stabilised through diet and lifestyle modifications is the optimal strategy so that you don’t require sugary snacks.
• Consider tracking your sleep quality with a wearable device such as an iWatch or a FitBit. These can give you some basic feedback on the quality of your sleep cycles throughout the night.

If you have superb sleep hygiene and are still having issues falling asleep, staying asleep or if you feel like you haven’t had good quality sleep when you wake up, then it’s time to consult your health professional.  I recommend discussing an in-lab sleep study with your doctor in order to determine if you have sleep disorders which need to be addressed. Diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders is absolutely essential for healing.

It might also be useful to undertake testing to track your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stimulating hormone that increase in the morning after waking and decreases throughout the afternoon, allowing us to fall asleep at night. Some people can have disrupted cortisol rhythms which can make it hard to get up and going in the morning and impossible to fall aslpee at a reasonable hour at night.

All of these strategies and more can be explored and implemented in Befriending the Body’s coaching programs. If you need some advice and support in improving your sleep please get in touch. I offer free 15 minute consult calls to discuss the best programs to help you. 

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