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Fibromyalgia -
and
Sleep Disturbances
It
is during sleep that healing processes take place. One
must enter into a certain sleep pattern for this to
occur. Numerous studies have been conducted which reveal
that persons with fibromyalgia have a sleep disturbance
that prevents healing. Here's what we know. Therapeutic
or healing sleep occurs during deep sleep, and deep
sleep is characterized by brain waves that are called
delta waves. These are slow, deep brain waves and this
pattern must be sustained. When a person with
fibromyalgia is hooked up to a device called an EEG in a
sleep lab, it can be demonstrated that the delta wave
pattern is constantly being interrupted by something
called alpha waves, which are brain waves that occur
during light sleep. These brain waves are short and
rapid. This is called alpha-delta intrusion. Constant
alpha-delta intrusion prevents sustained therapeutic
sleep from occurring and healing simply can't take
place. It is during deep sleep that the regulation of
the metabolism of an important neurotransmitter called
serotonin takes place. We will discuss the importance of
serotonin in another section. But let us establish one
point here. Serotonin is necessary for the activation of
an important immune system cell called "natural
killer cells". Disruption of the metabolism of
serotonin, the consequence of sleep disturbance,
therefore is an important contributor to the inability
of the body to heal in fibromyalgia due to its adverse
affect on an immune system that is already
dysfunctional.
A study published in the "Journal of
Rheumatology" further sustains the role that
sleep disturbances play in the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
The subjects of this study did not have fibromyalgia and
therefore had normal sleep patterns. However, for three
consecutive nights they had their sleep interrupted by
various sounds. This caused them to be deprived of any
periods of sustained delta wave, therapeutic sleep. At
the end of this experiment, after just three nights of
the inability to achieve therapeutic sleep, they
reported a significantly decreased pain threshold,
increased discomfort, and fatigue. These results
certainly confirm that disrupted therapeutic sleep is an
important factor in the patho-physiology of the symptoms
of fibromyalgia
Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter and its
manufacture, regulation, and levels all play an
important role in understanding fibromyalgia. A
neurotransmitter is a substance that passes signals or
information across the synapse (junction) that separates
one nerve cell from another.
continued
at the top of column 2------->.
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Neurotransmitters are stored in the nerve
cell's end. When an electrical impulse travels down the
nerve cell, it causes the release of the
neurotransmitter which then travels across the synapse
and either promotes or inhibits continued electrical
impulses along the nerve. Serotonin is involved in
multiple functions including regulating sleep cycles,
influencing mood, learning, pain perception and the
immune system. Serotonin production takes place in
the brain and the gastrointestinal tract. Fibromyalgia
is one of the conditions that are known as "low
serotonin syndromes". Here is what we know
about the relationship of serotonin and fibromyalgia.
Regulation of serotonin metabolism takes place during
the deep or therapeutic sleep patterns which are
discussed in another section. With the sleep
disturbances of fibromyalgia, the metabolic regulation
is disrupted. This causes further immune system
dysfunction due to the role serotonin plays in the
activation of natural killer cells.
Compounding the sleep disturbance is the fact that
since serotonin helps induce deep sleep, its low levels
then further aggravate the inability to achieve this
desired sleep pattern. There is another
neurotransmitter called substance P which works together
with serotonin. Substance P is responsible for
transmitting painful impulses to the brain and spinal
cord. It produces a nerve generated impulse that dilates
blood vessels, and in addition, it can cause fluid and
proteins to migrate from the cells to outside the cells.
Low serotonin levels can cause elevated substance P
levels. These elevated levels, sometimes three times
greater in people with fibromyalgia, could explain the
enhancement of pain perception which is experienced.
While much research is still being conducted, it would
appear clear that there is evidence that "low
serotonin syndrome" and the symptoms of
fibromyalgia are strongly associated.
The fact that females have a lower capacity to produce
serotonin than men may help explain the fact that over
90% of fibromyalgics are female. When events occur that
produce the "low serotonin syndrome", this
lessened capability to produce serotonin could be a
crucial component in the greater female susceptibility
to the onset of symptoms.
Fibromyalgia Exposed Links
What Is
Fibromyalgia?
Anatomical
Tender Points
Fibromyalgia - Sleep Disturbances
The Immune System Messengers
Immune
System Dysfunction
Fibromyalgia and Fatigue
Fibromyalgia and Female Hormonal
Imbalance
Day & Night....Fibro AMJ
Click Green Link Below for Program Information
Fibromyalgia
Recovery Program
PHONE ORDERS: 1-800-300-6006
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