How is sleep disturbance related to fibromyalgia?
Sleep disturbance is one of the most common complaints of patients with fibromyalgia.
It was initially described as “nonrestorative sleep.” Some patients were shown to have an intrusion of alpha rhythms into their stage-IV sleep (“alpha-delta” sleep).
However, the same electroencephalographic pattern is often seen in other chronically painful conditions.
Moreover, other disorders frequently found in association with fibromyalgia, such as restless leg syndrome, can contribute to a sleep disorder.
The incidence of sleep disturbance seems more related to the duration of chronic pain than to the specific diagnosis of fibromyalgia.