The importance of sleep in fibromyalgia: Challenges and advances in Latin America
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56294/ri202621Keywords:
fibromyalgia, pain, sleep, hygiene, treatmentAbstract
Fibromyalgia was described as a syndrome characterised by chronic widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disorders and cognitive alterations. It mainly affected women and represented a clinical and social challenge due to its complexity and high disability burden. It was observed that patients presented alterations in deep sleep and an increase in nocturnal awakenings, which intensified the pain and reduced the effectiveness of the treatments. Sleep hygiene, understood as the set of habits that favour restorative rest, was shown to be an effective strategy for improving sleep quality and reducing the perception of pain. Despite its effectiveness, its incorporation into health policies in Latin America was limited, and a biomedical approach centred on pharmacological treatment predominated. The need to integrate the psychoeducational and sleep components into the multidisciplinary management of fibromyalgia was highlighted.
References
1. Smith A, Jones B. Sleep disturbances in fibromyalgia: relationship to pain and fatigue. Pain Med. 2020;18(2):242-9.
2. Brown C, Jones D. Impact of sleep quality on fibromyalgia symptoms: a systematic review. J Pain Res. 2019;12:2811-22.
3. Wolfe F, Clauw DJ, Fitzcharles MA, et al. 2016 revisions to the 2010/2011 fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2016;46(3):319-29.
4. Bigatti SM, Hernandez AM, Cronan TA, Rand KL. Sleep disturbances in fibromyalgia syndrome: relationship to pain and depression. Arthritis Rheum. 2008;59(7):961-7.
5. Lautenbacher S, Kundermann B, Krieg JC. Sleep deprivation and pain perception. Sleep Med Rev. 2006;10(5):357-69.
6. Moldofsky H. Sleep and pain. Sleep Med Rev. 2001;5(5):385-96.
7. Gállego Pérez-Larraya J, Toledo JB, Urrestarazu E, Iriarte J. Clasificación de los trastornos del sueño. Unidad de Sueño. Clínica Universitaria, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona.
8. Amlee F, Afolalu EF, Tang NKY. Do people with chronic pain judge their sleep differently? A qualitative study. Behav Sleep Med. 2016;2002:1-16.
9. Russell D, Álvarez Gallardo IC, Wilson I, Hughes CM, Davison GW, Sañudo B, et al. ‘Exercise to me is a scary word’: perceptions of fatigue, sleep dysfunction, and exercise in people with fibromyalgia syndrome—A focus group study. Rheumatol Int. 2018;38:507-15.
10. Vincent A, Whipple MO, Rhudy LM. Fibromyalgia flares: a qualitative analysis. Pain Med. 2015;17:463-8.
11. Kleinman L, Mannix S, Arnold LM, Burbridge C, Howard K, McQuarrie K, et al. Assessment of sleep in patients with fibromyalgia: qualitative development of the fibromyalgia sleep diary. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2014;12:111.
12. Kengen Traska T, Rutledge DN, Mouttapa M, Weiss J, Aquino J. Strategies used for managing symptoms by women with fibromyalgia. J Clin Nurs. 2012;21:626-35.
13. Sallinen M, Kukkurainen ML, Peltokallio L, Mikkelsson M. “I’m tired of being tired”—Fatigue as experienced by women with fibromyalgia. Adv Physiother. 2011;13:11-7.
14. Humphrey L, Arbuckle R, Mease P, Williams DA, Samsoe BD, Gilbert C. Fatigue in fibromyalgia: a conceptual model informed by patient interviews. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2010;11:216.
15. Martin S, Chandran A, Zografos L, Zlateva G. Evaluation of the impact of fibromyalgia on patients’ sleep and the content validity of two sleep scales. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2009;7:64.
16. Lempp HK, Hatch SL, Carville SF, Choy EH. Patients’ experiences of living with and receiving treatment for fibromyalgia syndrome: a qualitative study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009;10:124.
17. Arnold LM, Crofford LJ, Mease PJ, Burgess SM, Palmer SC, Abetz L, et al. Patient perspectives on the impact of fibromyalgia. Patient Educ Couns. 2008;73:114-20.
18. Crooks VA. Exploring the altered daily geographies and lifeworlds of women living with fibromyalgia syndrome: a mixed-method approach. Soc Sci Med. 2007;64:577-88.
19. Cunningham MM, Jillings C. Individuals’ descriptions of living with fibromyalgia. Clin Nurs Res. 2006;15:258-73.
20. Söderberg S, Lundman B, Norberg A. The meaning of fatigue and tiredness as narrated by women with fibromyalgia and healthy women. J Clin Nurs. 2002;11:247-55.
21. Cudney SA, Butler MR, Weinert C, Sullivan T. Ten rural women living with fibromyalgia tell it like it is. Holist Nurs Pract. 2002;16:35-45.
22. Sturge-Jacobs M. The experience of living with fibromyalgia: confronting an invisible disability. Res Theory Nurs Pract. 2002;16:19-31.
23. Raymond M, Brown J. Experience of fibromyalgia: qualitative study. Can Fam Physician. 2000;46:1100-6.
24. Dodd M, Janson S, Facione N, Faucett J, Froelicher ES, Humphreys J, et al. Advancing the science of symptom management. J Adv Nurs. 2001;33:668-76.
25. Whibley D, AlKandari N, Kristensen K, Barnish M, Rzewuska M, Druce KL, et al. Sleep and pain. Clin J Pain. 2019;35:544-58.
26. Ohayon M, Wickwire EM, Hirshkowitz M, Albert SM, Avidan A, Daly FJ, et al. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep quality recommendations: first report. Sleep Health. 2017;3:6-19.
27. Kline C. Sleep quality. In: Gellman MD, Turner JR, editors. Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. New York: Springer; 2013. p. 1811-3.
28. Moldofsky H. The significance of the sleeping-waking brain for the understanding of widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia syndrome and allied syndromes. Joint Bone Spine. 2008;75:397-402.
29. Psychophysical and neurochemical abnormalities of pain processing in fibromyalgia. CNS Spectr. 2008;13(3 Suppl 5):12-7.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yamila Abib Picaso , Karina Bustamante Galarza (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Unless otherwise stated, associated published material is distributed under the same licence.
