ME/CFS South Australia Inc supports the needs of sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and related illnesses. We do this by providing services and information to members. Disclaimer ME/CFS South Australia Inc aims to keep members informed of various research projects, diets, medications, therapies, news items, etc. All communication, both verbal and written, is merely to disseminate information and not to make recommendations or directives. Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed on this Web site are not necessarily the official views of the Society or its Committee and are not simply an endorsement of products or services. |
|
|||||||||||
The torture of sleep deprivation in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue SyndromeFriday 29 June 2012
From About.com's Adrienne Dellwo:
The Torture of Sleep Deprivation in Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome As I sit here awake at far-too-early o'clock, after getting to sleep at far-too-late o'clock, I can't help but fixate on sleep. I suppose it's more accurate to say "sleep deprivation" than "sleep," however. When you have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep deprivation is a part of life. Paradoxically, we're sleep deprived no matter how much time we actually spend asleep. More on this in a minute. We're so accustomed to being exhausted that it seems normal much of the time - until we have a particularly bad bout of it like I'm having this morning. Here's something to put it in perspective for you: sleep deprivation is a torture device. It's used to break prisoners of war and to coerce confessions from criminal suspects. It can make a tough man break down and cry. And do you know why? Because it gives them a taste of what we live with. In studies, researchers have demonstrated that sleep deprivation can cause fibromyalgia symptoms in a healthy person. The brain fog, the heightened sensitivity to pain, etc. – they can all be induced by preventing quality sleep. Quality sleep is the key here, as I meander back to my earlier point. Our sleep - be it scant or plentiful – is not of sufficient quality to leave us refreshed or help our bodies recover from the previous day's exertions. This is the case with us: whether or not we have defined sleep disorders, we have what is called "unrefreshing sleep." You can learn more about unrefreshing sleep here: I came across some interesting (and frustrating) disparities while researching these articles. First, we have more research on improving sleep in fibromyalgia than on understanding the nature of the problem - largely because of pharmaceutical companies wanting to make claims about their drugs. Second, the reverse is true of chronic fatigue syndrome, where far more studies have been done on why sleep is so poor, but there's a distinct lack of research on how to improve it. How is your sleep quality? Have you found anything that helps? How big an impact does a rough night have on your symptoms? Leave your comments here! NEWSLETTER | FORUM | BIO | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
The above, with comments, originally appeared here.
blog comments powered by Disqus |
||||||||||||
|
Registered Charity 3104
Email:
sacfs@sacfs.asn.au
Mailing address:
PO Box 322,
Modbury North,
South Australia 5092
Phone:
1300 128 339
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday,
10am - 4pm
(phone)