Even with such advancement in medical science and technology we would expect to get a cure for every sort of illness isn’t it? Well that isn’t exactly the case after all. Even when we have a multitude of medicines out there are many diseases which are still incurable, one such disease is fibromyalgia.
What Is Fibromyalgia And How Does It Affect The Body?
Fibromyalgia is actually caused due to a lot of factors however the primary changes being in your sleeping or diet pattern. Extreme weather conditions, consuming too much caffeine or even loud noises for long periods of time can cause this disease. Sometimes people who have this problem running in their family too can inherit it. Drastic changes like a severe accident or even stress caused by difficult situations can lead to this too.
There are many symptoms that cause fibromyalgia including lack of sleep, fatigue, depression, anxiety, bone tenderness along with pain, cognitive problems and the normal bowel function too is affected.
Chronic Pain throughout the Body
The condition of fibromyalgia can definitely be considered to be chronic and overwhelming. This disease causes chronic pain in the joints and then spreads throughout the body. Often it is confused with arthritis and the symptoms that are there in fibromyalgia, it can be easily confused with some other disease as well until some sort of test is done to prove it otherwise. This disease mostly affects the young and middle aged women. This can cause any person to lose their concentration and hence make easier tasks at hand seem really difficult. They also sleep for longer periods of time due to fatigue and their sleep cycle too gets affected due to the chronic pain they experience majority of the time.
The pain that is experienced in fibromyalgia is felt in 12-18 trigger parts of the body. These trigger points include the back of the head, hips, elbows, shoulders etc. people who actually suffer from this disease is unaware that they have fibromyalgia. With all the symptoms that is felt with fibromyalgia it is often confused with some other disease.
Tips On Coping with Fibromyalgia
Even though there is no cure for fibromyalgia it does not mean that it cannot be coped up with. If you are suffering from chronic pain and you still have not been able to figure out why you should go to a doctor and get yourself examined. Following are some of the ways you can cope with fibromyalgia.
- De-stress: Fibromyalgia is mostly caused due to excessive amounts of stress. If you were to minimize the amount of stress that you take you can easily improve your life. Some great ways of reducing stress is to practise yoga, sleep, exercise and meditate. When you feel stressed out taking deep breaths can help you calm your mind.
- Keep a note: Most of the time fibromyalgia causes your brain to fog up due to excessive amounts of stress you feel sometimes. The best way to cope with that is to note down all the things you should do and things you would want to remember so that you do not forget them easily.
- Exercise regularly: In order to keep your fibromyalgia under control you should exercise regularly. You should perform low intensity workouts or warm water exercise in order to decrease the stress, stiffness and help you sleep better. Talking to your doctor or physical therapist can help you understand which exercise plan might be the best for you.
- Soak yourself: Soaking in a warm bath or spending a considerable amount of time in a sauna will help your muscles relax and reduce the pain. The moist heat helps release more endorphins which block the pain signals and help you get a sound sleep.
- Avoid caffeine: Caffeine keeps us awake which stresses us physically and mentally. It can also stimulate the heart rate and hence increases nervousness, insomnia and also anxiety. In order to sleep better at night avoid caffeine late afternoon.
- Make your bedroom peaceful: It is important to get a good night sleep or you will feel cranky and stressed out throughout the next day. Make your bedroom cool and dark so that you can doze off easily.
