Climate and fibromyalgia: How to adjust the internal thermostat?
It is common for people with fibromyalgia to tell that a certain type of climate, or changes in temperature, worsen their symptoms.Many complain of being cold all the time, or hot all the time, or alternately.
And it is true, several studies confirm it: this symptom is called temperature sensitivity.
In patients with fibromyalgia, experts explain, the internal thermostat is broken, a “deregulation” that makes patients more sensitive to certain conditions.That is, if it is very hot, it is likely that the person feels even more extreme. Your body will suffer it in an exaggerated way, with more sweat, more thirst, more intolerance.This can cause the pain to decrease, but also the fatigue to increase.Some investigations show an inability on the part of the body to adapt to the changes of temperature, together with a low threshold of tolerance to the pain associated with stimuli by heat and cold.Is that people who suffer from fibromyalgia have a different impact from external stimuli: many have extreme physical sensitivity to some situations. And the weather is no exception.Pain, exhaustion and other typical symptoms are very associated with the weather. It varies depending on whether it is cold or hot, and also according to humidity.
In winter, on the contrary, pain becomes the protagonist. People with fibromyalgia can feel a lot of the cold, and will take longer to enter the heat.In turn, the cold triggers the pain.The humidity, on the other hand, can also increase the pain in the joints, affecting the general state of the patient.It is important to adjust the clothing and heating to prevent these pictures, and also to take them into account when planning vacations, and feeling good becomes a key for the person and their family.The cold is hardly a good ally.Recommendations for hot days:Consume cold foods and drinks
Use an umbrella to provide shade
Use a visor instead of a hat
Wear loose and light clothes, made of a breathable material
Avoid hot baths or showers
Take a cold water rinse before going out and before going to sleep
Turn on the car and the air conditioning a while before leaving, enough to cool the car
If you use a fan or air conditioning, avoid blowing directly towards you. People sensitive to the cold feel frozen to the bone, and have a hard time being able to warm upRecommendations for cold daysIt is important to keep in mind that in people with fibromyalgia, the body is not able to adapt properly, so the feet stay cold, and even wearing thick socks may not help to warm the feet; therefore, the environment has a greater impact on the body.Some ideas to prevent this from happening are:Keeping your feet covered during cold weather
Dressing warm (however, dressing too much can trigger the symptoms of heat sensitivity)
Drinking hot beverages
Eating hot foods like soup and oatmeal
Warming up the car before leaving home
Keeping the environment warm and pleasant
Have things like blankets and warm-up shoes by hand
Thanks for reading!