Fibromyalgia is a neurological condition that affects the soft tissues of the musculoskeletal system, such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Most people with fibromyalgia experience intense muscle pain, accompanied by a pronounced level of fatigue throughout the body.

Initially, muscle pain and fatigue usually occur in the upper parts of the body (neck, cervical region, back and shoulders), spreading to other areas of the body (mid-back, arms, spine, lumbar and thighs).

As we can see, pain is very common in this disease, but not only that, it also affects different parts of our daily life, especially the parts where the nervous system functions, and we will talk about it again in this article.

Headache

Fibromyalgia patients share many characteristics with those suffering from chronic headaches. Similar to migraine, fibromyalgia occurs more frequently in women of childbearing age, with women suffering from the condition being 7 times more likely than men.

Headache symptoms are usually classified as severe and occur at least twice a week.

Difficulty sleeping

The chances of you getting a good night’s sleep with fibromyalgia are truly complicated. In fact, if someone has trouble sleeping, it’s one of the indicators used to diagnose fibromyalgia.

With this condition, the person sleeps through the night, but wakes up feeling as if they have barely rested. This occurs because the person’s brain activity is similar to that of a person who is not sleeping.

Chronic fatigue

The number of people suffering from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue is increasing.

Chronic fatigue is a severe physical exhaustion that can last for at least six months. This condition typically has the following symptoms.

• Memory or concentration problems.
• Muscle pain.
• Lack of sleep.
• Faintness.
• Headache.
• Sore throat.

This condition is usually caused by a malfunction of the immune system or the hypothalamus.

fibroblast

This results in the inability to remember people’s names and birthdays, or to remember details of school or work projects.

Cognitive difficulties may include confusion, memory lapses, inability to concentrate.

Sometimes fibro fog is confused with attention deficit disorder and dyslexia.

Doing techniques with tools like calendars, lists, journals, voice recorders can be very helpful for those suffering from this symptom.

Modern technologies also offer a number of organizational tools like computers.

A tip for people suffering from fibro fog:

“Set aside a little time each day to organize and prepare your schedule for the day… early morning or before bed is usually best… find out what works best for you. It may take a little trial and error to find your way, but when you do, you will have a key to controlling your fibroids and your life.”

concentration and distraction

Fibromyalgia can make it difficult for you to concentrate on tasks at hand and leave you vulnerable to distraction.

Vocabulary

This disease can also cause speech problems, forgetting words, speaking poorly structured or unintelligible sentences.

It is also common for words to be confused, as we think of something and say it using related words but not what we really meant.

Memory loss

You may eventually reach a point where you realize that you are unable to easily remember things or situations.

For example, remembering where the car keys are or remembering the dates and times of important appointments can become quite difficult over time.

Mathematics

Math may already be a problem for some. But people with fibromyalgia may have very specific problems with simple equations and sequences that involve remembering numbers.

This makes everyday life a little more complicated.

address

We have already seen talk of fibro fog and memory loss, so this also affects address memorization, when you want to remember an address, for example when you go to a specific store or any other place, you will no longer remember where it is.

Depression and anxiety

Besides being one of the symptoms, I also believe that depression and anxiety are the main factors contributing to this disease. Anxiety also poses an obstacle to restoring health and maintaining the body.

Natural Treatments for Fibromyalgia

Pain medications for fibromyalgia

Pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and cortisone as treatment for people with fibromyalgia are often of little help.

Pain relievers, such as codeine, morphine, or oxycodone, can provide significant pain relief, but these are opioids that have side effects that fibromyalgia patients are particularly sensitive to, such as nausea, constipation, itching, and mental confusion.

For this reason, most patients do not choose to take such narcotics long-term.

Recent research shows that addiction rarely develops when opioid medications are taken for chronic pain, but addiction occurs in the majority of patients.

Alternative treatment for people with fibromyalgia may include weak opioids such as Ultram or Ultracet, which have minimal addiction potential.

Treatment of sleep disorders

Sleep disturbances that often occur as a result of fibromyalgia have underlying effects, including sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or teeth grinding.

These potential contributors should be excluded before starting treatment for people with fibromyalgia.

If no underlying cause is found, low doses of tricyclic antidepressants or sleeping pills such as zolpidem are often helpful.

These medications are not addictive when used in low doses, and patients taking these medications rarely experience side effects.

Treatment for people with fibromyalgia should not include the regular use of strong sleeping pills such as Restoril or Valium, as they reduce the quality of sleep.

Depression and anxiety

Treatment for these disorders may include cognitive behavioral therapy or other psychiatric/psychological therapies, often in conjunction with anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants.

Treating emotional issues will not cure fibromyalgia, but it will lessen its burden.

Exercise as treatment

It can be difficult to incorporate exercise as a treatment for people with fibromyalgia because they are already tired and in pain.

However, there is growing evidence that regular exercise is crucial in the fight against fibromyalgia, and patients who adopt an exercise plan make better progress.

A low-impact routine like walking, stationary cycling, water aerobics, etc.  and avoiding high-impact activities like running and contact sports will be beneficial.

Of course, it is advisable to consult a doctor before starting an exercise routine as part of the treatment of people suffering from fibromyalgia.

To stay aerobically fit, you only need 20 minutes of physical activity three times a week at 70% of your maximum heart rate.

Thank you for reading, and I hope it has become clear to you that fibromyalgia can affect the nervous system and brain, and at the same time, with certain measures, these symptoms can be alleviated  .