Fatigue Not a Factor in Fibromyalgia Pain, Study
Says
04/26/12
THURSDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) -- Poor sleep is not a
significant predictor of pain intensity and duration in patients
with fibromyalgia, a new study says.
Fibromyalgia patients often have difficulty sleeping, and
University of Florida researchers wanted to determine whether lack
of sleep is associated with higher levels of pain in these
patients.
The study included 74 adults with fibromyalgia who were followed
for 14 days. The patients kept sleep diaries describing each
night's sleep, and rated their pain every evening.
The results showed that the four measures of sleep used in the
study failed to predict pain levels. The effects of impaired sleep,
such as fatigue and inactivity, may play more important roles in
fibromyalgia patients' pain levels than sleep duration or insomnia,
the researchers said.
The study appears in the current issue of
The Journal of Pain.
Previous research has shown that factors such as negative mood
and the number of localized pain areas are significant predictors
of pain in fibromyalgia patients.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about
fibromyalgia.
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