I had to quit a weightlifting program and martial arts lessons. And the sheer amount of energy that is drained by chronic pain left me with little to give my family or friends. Sleep deprivation became a way of life. I was baffled as to how to get better. Although doctors do not know exactly what causes fibromyalgia, significant strides in research have been made in the last ten years.
Many doctors regard fibromyalgia as a pain perception disorder.
It often develops after a person has experienced painful physical trauma, such as injuries from an automobile accident or surgery, or following an illness, especially viral infections. Poor sleep quality can be a precipitating factor, since your body does its healing and repair work in the deepest stages of sleep. Lack of sleep can also be a long-term result of fibromyalgia, which sends the patient into a cycle of pain, inability to sleep because of pain, and more pain. In the three years since the accident, I have learned the best ways to manage my own condition, and have been able to resume a virtually normal lifestyle. Fibromyalgia is not a death sentence, although the pain may take a harsh toll on your emotional and physical resources.