What triggers fibromyalgia symptoms?

Different things can trigger fibromyalgia symptoms for different people, however, there are some common triggers that have been identified. Here is what triggers fibromyalgia symptoms:

Fibromyalgia flare-ups can be triggered by many things, including physical or emotional stress, lack of sleep, weather changes, fluctuations in hormones, medications, infections, surgery, exercise, diet, bright lights and loud noises, depression, or anxiety, social isolation, and poor coping skills.

Fibromyalgia

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Fibromyalgia.

To give you a more in-depth answer to what triggers fibromyalgia symptoms, you need to know the following:

• What is fibromyalgia?
• Why is fibromyalgia a disorder?
• What are fibromyalgia symptoms?
• How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?
• Does fibromyalgia get worse?

Firstly, I am going to quickly answer these questions one by one, and then get into what triggers fibromyalgia symptoms.

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What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia (fi-bro-me-AL-ja) is a complex chronic pain disorder that affects about 4 million American adults. It is more common in women than men and typically develops between the ages of 20 and 50.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, memory, and mood issues.

There is no known cure for fibromyalgia, however, there are treatments that can help lessen the symptoms and improve quality of life.

Why is fibromyalgia a disorder?

People often have the wrong idea of fibromyalgia being a chronic illness. Fibromyalgia isn’t an illness, nor is it a disease. Fibromyalgia is a disorder.

An illness or disease is something that a person contracts, while a disorder is something that a person has. Illnesses and diseases have an underline cause, such as a virus, while disorders do not.

Fibromyalgia is a disorder because its cause is unknown. A disorder is characterized by a group of symptoms that occur together and cause significant problems with daily life. They are real, but cannot be explained with convening medical knowledge.

What are fibromyalgia symptoms?

The most common symptom of fibromyalgia is widespread musculoskeletal pain. This pain is often described as a deep ache that feels like it is coming from the bones. It is often worse in the morning and improves with activity during the day.

Other common symptoms include headaches, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), fibro fog (memory and cognitive difficulties), TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder), and Raynaud’s phenomenon (poor blood circulation in the extremities).

How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?

Fibromyalgia is often a difficult condition to diagnose because there is no specific test for it. Instead, diagnosis is based on ruling out other conditions that could be causing the symptoms and then determining if the person meets the criteria for fibromyalgia.

The criteria for fibromyalgia include having widespread musculoskeletal pain for more than 3 months that is not relieved by rest or medications and having tenderness in at least 11 of 18 specific tender points on the body.

Does fibromyalgia get worse?

Does fibromyalgia get worse with age?

Well, age does not appear to worsen fibromyalgia symptoms, however, the pain may become more constant as a person ages. What does make fibromyalgia worse is living with chronic stress. Stressful life events, such as divorce, job loss, or the death of a loved one can trigger or worsen fibromyalgia symptoms.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia can vary in intensity and may come and go. There are times when the symptoms are mild and other times when they are severe. For some people, the symptoms may even go into remission for a period of time.

There is no way to predict when a fibromyalgia flare-up will occur or how long it will last. However, there are certain things that can trigger a flare-up, which I get into below.

What triggers fibromyalgia symptoms?

Like I said at the beginning, different things can trigger fibromyalgia symptoms, and different people react to them differently, although there are some common triggers that have been identified.

Here is a list of what triggers fibromyalgia symptoms:

1. Stress: Physical or emotional stress can trigger a fibromyalgia flare-up. Stress causes the body to release hormones that can make the pain worse. It can also interfere with sleep, which can make symptoms worse.
2. Lack of sleep: People with fibromyalgia often have difficulty sleeping, and this can trigger symptoms. Lack of sleep can make the pain worse and can also cause fatigue.
3. Weather changes: Sudden changes in temperature or humidity can trigger symptoms. These changes can cause pain and fatigue.
4. Hormone changes: Fluctuations in hormones, such as during menstruation, can trigger symptoms. Hormonal changes can cause pain, fatigue, and mood swings.
5. Medications: Some medications, such as those used to treat high blood pressure or depression, can trigger fibromyalgia symptoms. These medications can cause pain, fatigue, and other symptoms.
6. Infections: Viral infections, such as the flu, can trigger a fibromyalgia flare-up. Infections can cause fever, which can make the pain worse. They can also cause fatigue.
7. Surgery: Recovery from surgery can be difficult for people with fibromyalgia, and the pain and fatigue associated with surgery can trigger symptoms. Surgery can also cause stress, which can exacerbate symptoms.
8. Exercise: Although exercise is often recommended as a treatment for fibromyalgia, overexertion can actually trigger symptoms. Exercise can cause pain and fatigue.
9. Diet: Certain foods, such as those that are high in sugar or caffeine, can trigger fibromyalgia symptoms. These foods can cause pain, fatigue, and other symptoms.
10. Chemical sensitivities: People with fibromyalgia can be sensitive to chemicals found in perfumes, cleaning products, and other household items. These chemicals can trigger symptoms.
11. Bright lights: Sensitivity to light is common in people with fibromyalgia, and bright lights can trigger symptoms. Bright lights can cause pain and fatigue.
12. Loud noises: Like bright lights, loud noises can also be overwhelming for people with fibromyalgia, and can trigger symptoms. Loud noises can cause pain and fatigue.
13. Emotional stress: Negative emotions, such as anxiety or depression, can trigger a fibromyalgia flare-up. Emotional stress can cause pain and fatigue.
14. Social isolation: People with fibromyalgia can often feel isolated and alone, and this can trigger symptoms. Social isolation can cause pain and fatigue.
15. Poor coping skills: People with fibromyalgia may have difficulty coping with the chronic pain and fatigue associated with the condition. This can trigger symptoms. Poor coping skills can cause pain and fatigue.

If you have fibromyalgia, it is important to be aware of what triggers your symptoms so that you can try to avoid them. Flare-ups can be very debilitating, so avoiding triggers is an important part of managing the condition.

The top 5 triggers.

What triggers fibromyalgia symptoms the most?

The first five triggers I mentioned above are the most common reasons that fibromyalgia flare-ups can be set off and make the person feel worse. These are:

• Stress
• Weather changes
• Hormonal changes
• Lack of sleep
• Certain medications

Now, let’s explain more in-depth all of the above triggers of fibromyalgia:

Stress: both mental and physical stress can trigger a fibromyalgia flare-up.

When you are stressed, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode. This means that your body releases stress hormones, which can lead to muscle tension and pain. Additionally, stress can make it more difficult for you to get a good night’s sleep, which can also trigger a flare-up.

Whenever my wife gets stressed out from work, she often has more pain and fatigue the next day.

Weather changes: many people with fibromyalgia find that their symptoms are worse in cold or damp weather.

There is no clear explanation as to why weather changes can trigger fibromyalgia symptoms, but it is thought that the change in temperature or humidity level may cause muscles to tighten and become painful.

For some people, simply being outside in cold weather can be enough to trigger a flare-up. My wife definitely feels worse during cold weather and feels better in the warm.

Hormonal changes: women with fibromyalgia often find that their symptoms worsen around the time of their period.

Hormones are thought to play a role in fibromyalgia, and fluctuations in hormone levels can trigger symptoms. For women, this is often around the time of their period, when estrogen levels drop.

Additionally, some women also suffer from endometriosis, which makes the pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia even worse. My wife has stage IV deep infiltrating endometriosis and her fibromyalgia symptoms are definitely worse around the time of her period.

Lack of sleep: not getting enough rest can also trigger a flare-up.

People with fibromyalgia often have trouble sleeping, due to the pain and fatigue associated with the condition. However, not getting enough sleep can actually make symptoms worse. This is because lack of sleep can lead to muscle stiffness and pain, as well as increased fatigue.

Aside from the pain, my wife also gets cramps in the middle of the night. They are caused by a low level of magnesium, which is common in people with fibromyalgia, and make it very difficult for her to get a good night’s rest.

Certain medications: some medications (such as those used to treat arthritis) can actually make fibromyalgia symptoms worse.

Certain medications, such as those used to treat arthritis, can actually make fibromyalgia symptoms worse.

This is because these medications can cause muscle stiffness and pain. If you are taking any medication, it is important to speak to your doctor about the possibility of it triggering a flare-up.

If you are not sure what triggers your symptoms, keep a journal and track when your symptoms worsen. This can help you to identify patterns and possible triggers. Remember, flare-ups can be very debilitating, so avoiding triggers is an important part of managing the condition.

Summing up fibromyalgia triggers…

What can I say to help you remember what can set off a fibromyalgia flare-up?

Well, I’ll get straight to the point and give you a list of 15 common triggers of fibromyalgia symptoms:

1. Stress: Physical or emotional stress can trigger a fibromyalgia flare-up.
2. Lack of sleep: People with fibromyalgia often have difficulty sleeping, and this can trigger symptoms.
3. Weather changes: Sudden changes in temperature or humidity can trigger symptoms.
4. Hormone changes: Fluctuations in hormones, such as during menstruation, can trigger symptoms.
5. Medications: Some medications, such as those used to treat high blood pressure or depression, can trigger fibromyalgia symptoms.
6. Infections: Viral infections, such as the flu, can trigger a fibromyalgia flare-up.
7. Surgery: Recovery from surgery can be difficult for people with fibromyalgia, and the pain and fatigue associated with surgery can trigger symptoms.
8. Exercise: Although exercise is often recommended as a treatment for fibromyalgia, overexertion can actually trigger symptoms.
9. Diet: Certain foods, such as those that are high in sugar or caffeine, can trigger fibromyalgia symptoms.
10. Chemical sensitivities: People with fibromyalgia can be sensitive to chemicals found in perfumes, cleaning products, and other household items. These chemicals can trigger symptoms.
11. Bright lights: Sensitivity to light is common in people with fibromyalgia, and bright lights can trigger symptoms.
12. Loud noises: Like bright lights, loud noises can also be overwhelming for people with fibromyalgia, and can trigger symptoms.
13. Emotional stress: Negative emotions, such as anxiety or depression, can trigger a fibromyalgia flare-up.
14. Social isolation: People with fibromyalgia can often feel isolated and alone, and this can trigger symptoms.
15. Poor coping skills: People with fibromyalgia may have difficulty coping with the chronic pain and fatigue associated with the condition. This can trigger symptoms.

It is worth remembering that not everyone with fibromyalgia will have the same triggers. What triggers symptoms in one person may not trigger them in another. It is important to identify your own triggers and learn how to avoid them.

Lastly, as always, if you have any tips or experience in what can set off a fibromyalgia flare-up, do not hesitate to share them with us. You can do it by scrolling down to the comments section below.

Take care!