Are you among those people who experience widespread pain and fatigue recurrently? Have you noticed repeated headaches, dizziness, memory loss, and vision problems that came up repeatedly? Then you are at risk of fibromyalgia. Curious about fibromyalgia? Let us discuss the disease, its symptoms, and its major causes.
What Is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic health condition marked by diffuse musculoskeletal pain, lethargy, mood swings, memory loss, and sleep deprivation. According to research, fibromyalgia alters how your brain and spinal cord interact with painful and nonpainful signals, intensifying painful experiences. The symptoms of this disease flare up occasionally, making it challenging and difficult to live with this situation.
Although not certain, studies have found that stress and certain health conditions might trigger fibromyalgia. Genetics also plays a major role in developing this disease. It is important to notice any new pain in your body, especially those recurring in certain periods, as they can be the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Symptoms
🖍 Widespread Pain
One of the major symptoms of fibromyalgia is widespread pain. The pain associated with this disease will be consistent in your body, lasting for around 3 months. This will be widespread, as you will experience this pain all over your body, ranging from head to toe.
🖍 Fatigue
People affected by this disease may experience tiredness even after proper sleep or rest. Meanwhile, the sleep schedules of people with fibromyalgia will also be interrupted due to pain and other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.
🖍 Cognitive Difficulties
The “fibro fog” symptom makes it difficult to focus, pay attention, and concentrate on mental work.
Apart from these major symptoms, fibromyalgia also exhibits other symptoms, such as:
- Migraine and headache
- Numbness in the hands and feet
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Dizziness, nausea
- Problems related to vision
- Sensitivity to heat or cold
- Memory loss
Causes
Although the root cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, recent studies in the field of rheumatology associate it with issues related to the central nervous system. They suggest that problems related to processing the pain in the nervous system may cause fibromyalgia. Genetics is also considered a major cause of this disease.
Those who are genetically associated with people affected by fibromyalgia are at higher risk of developing this disease. Additionally, research confirms that women are more likely to develop this health condition when compared to men. It is also more common in people with RA, lupus, and spinal arthritis, sometimes referred to as ankylosing spondylitis and some other rheumatic disorders.
10 Root Causes That Trigger Fibromyalgia
🖍 Sleep Deprivation
A disturbed sleep schedule can cause a trigger in people suffering from fibromyalgia. They should try to maintain a proper sleep schedule. Maintaining a dark and cold environment in the bedroom would help.
🖍 Unhealthy Diet
A balanced diet is a crucial factor in all chronic health diseases. It helps the body to heal. Maintaining proper nutrition and eating a balanced diet will help you feel more energized and prevent further health problems.
🖍 Hormone imbalance
The main reason for women being more prone to fibromyalgia is the recurring hormone imbalance. Women experience fluctuations in their hormone levels during several instances, like menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause.
🖍 Weather
Changes in weather, such as intense heat, humidity, cold, or even changes in atmospheric pressure, can trigger fibromyalgia.
🖍 Stress
Stress is considered to be one of the major causes of fibromyalgia. An increase in stress levels, whether psychological or physical, can cause a flare-up in fibromyalgia symptoms. It is important to try and maintain stress levels. Meditations, yoga, etc. are some major activities that help relieve stress.
🖍 Overdoing Exercise
People suffering from fibromyalgia are only allowed to do gentle daily exercises. Intense exercises may cause negative results and worsen the pain. Mild stretches and short walks will benefit those experiencing flare-ups.
🖍 Schedule Changes
Changes in the daily routine, such as staying up late, traveling, or adjustments in the daily schedule, may increase fibromyalgia symptoms.
🖍 Injury
Physical trauma or injury has been a reason for the development or worsening of most of the fibromyalgia cases. Head or neck injury, including whiplash, is the most common reason that initiates the disease in a majority of people.
🖍 Illness
Fibromyalgia flare-ups can be brought on by viral illnesses like the flu or a cold, as well as other diseases like Lyme disease. Some people with fibromyalgia also claimed that their symptoms were made worse by lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
🖍 Changes In Medication
Most of the commonly used medications for fibromyalgia symptoms have side effects that may worsen the flare-ups.
Conclusion
A chronic health condition, fibromyalgia, is said to be caused by pain processing issues in the central nervous system. This health condition has several symptoms, like widespread pain, sleep deprivation, fatigue, and many others.
Several factors may also trigger the symptoms, causing a flare-up. Although a complete cure is not possible, maintaining a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and proper sleep schedules can help decrease the symptoms and flare-ups.
References
- NIH (n.d) Fibromyalgia Available Online at: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/fibromyalgia
- CDC (n.d) Fibromyalgia Available Online at: https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/types/fibromyalgia.htm
