[lizardlady]

I found an interesting article about fibro and sleep I thought y'all might be interested in.

The article also mentions abnormal dopamine levels in the brain of folks with fibro. Dopamine is involved in depression. I wonder if that's why folks with fibro often also are depressed. On the other hand being in pain 24/7 is depressing in itself.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/fibromyalgia/101/fibromyalgia-and-sleep.aspx

There are five stages of sleep, and in the course of a normal night's rest, a person will normally cycle through various stages, from light to deep to dreaming, every 90 minutes or so. Dreaming occurs during what's called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Interestingly, EEG (brain wave) studies have found that fibromyalgia patients lack the restorative levels of deep, non-REM sleep. It is during these deepest levels of sleep — also known as stages 3 and 4 — that the body restores and refreshes itself. Stage 3 is characterized by moderately deep sleep and stage 4, the deepest sleep phase, is when certain substances like growth hormones are released for body-tissue repair and replenishment.
Research suggests that people with fibromyalgia are constantly aroused by bursts of "awake" brain activity, which limits the amount of time they spend in these critical deep stages of sleep. "On EEG studies, fibromyalgia patients in deep-sleep stages have been found to have alpha waves, which are signs of arousal or wakening," says Patrick Wood, MD, chief medical advisor for the National Fibromyalgia Association. One study found that fibromyalgia patients experience at least twice as many arousals per hour as people without the disorder.
Fibromyalgia's Constant "Fog" and Fatigue
The lack of uninterrupted deep sleep may be the reason why people with fibromyalgia are also plagued by extreme daytime fatigue. In today's world, many people complain of feeling tired, but the exhaustion associated with fibromyalgia is much more severe. Fibromyalgia patients report feeling as if their bodies have been completely drained of energy, which can lead to limited physical and mental functioning.
It's also common for people with fibromyalgia to have problems with concentration, thinking, and even memory, a condition known as "fibro fog." One possible reason: Memories are processed during sleep stages 3 and 4. "During these two stages of sleep, the brain sorts through information accumulated during the day, taking it out of short-term memory and putting it into long-term memory," says Dr. Wood. When the amount of deep sleep is reduced, experts speculate that the body may have a limited ability to repair and replenish the brain's functioning, affecting memory as well as energy.

[Travelinglady]

Interesting article, Liz. I had a sleep study awhile back, and the clinic found I did "wake up" more frequently than most folks, but not enough to justify a CPAP machine. I'm wondering if I could get any info from them about how my brain was responding during those times.....

[lizardlady]

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

Interesting article, Liz. I had a sleep study awhile back, and the clinic found I did "wake up" more frequently than most folks, but not enough to justify a CPAP machine. I'm wondering if I could get any info from them about how my brain was responding during those times.....

Payne, maybe your waking up is caused by something other than sleep apnea?

I'm finding myself waking up briefly and frequently lately. I wonder if it's fibro related???