Break the Fibromyalgia Pain-Sleep Cycle: Tips for Restful Sleep
Live a Full Life With Fibromyalgia

Stuck in the Fibromyalgia Pain-Sleep Cycle? Here’s How to Break It

Stuck in the Fibromyalgia Pain-Sleep Cycle? Here’s How to Break It
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Published on December 10, 2025
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Fibromyalgia symptoms, including pain, can make restful sleep feel out of reach. In fact, 90 percent of people with fibromyalgia experience sleep disturbances, from difficulty dozing off to fragmented sleep. And poor sleep is associated with worsened symptoms.

“Sleep is important to restore the body, but also to clear waste in the brain,” says Brian Koo, MD, a neurologist and assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. People dealing with fibromyalgia pain tend to spend less time in deep sleep and rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, though, which are the more restorative sleep phases that aid in healing and memory consolidation.

Many people with chronic pain experience something called alpha-delta sleep, in which slow brain waves are disrupted by faster activity, says Ira Chang, MD, a neurologist at HCA HealthONE in Englewood, Colorado. “This sleep pattern is associated with a sense of nonrestoration.”

In other words, pain can make sleep less restful and not as refreshing.

How a Lack of Sleep Affects Fibromyalgia Pain

A good night’s sleep not only gives you energy, but also has an impact on inflammation and pain sensitivity. Sleep acts as a natural anti-inflammatory, Dr. Koo explains, so when you don’t get enough restorative sleep and wake up feeling unrefreshed, inflammation and pain can persist.

Poor-quality sleep also heightens pain sensitivity by impairing pain-inhibition pathways in the central nervous system, making the pain you feel even more debilitating after a night of poor sleep. Pain itself can also make it harder to fall and stay asleep, creating a relentless cycle: Poor sleep exacerbates pain, and pain makes it more difficult to sleep.

Steps to Ease Pain Before Bedtime

It may feel impossible to break out of this pain-sleep cycle, but there are small — even enjoyable — steps you can take to ease fibromyalgia symptoms and set your mind and body up for restorative rest.

Create a Calming Environment (and Routine)

It’s especially important for people with fibromyalgia to set the stage for sleep, dimming the lights, keeping the bedroom quiet, and limiting screen time close to bedtime to help the nervous system settle down. Hypersensitivity to light, noise, or touch is more common in people with fibromyalgia than in people with other types of chronic pain.

Spending the last 30 to 60 minutes before shut-eye doing calming activities — such as listening to soothing music or reading — can also help you wind down and send a clear signal to your brain that it’s time to rest.

Warm Up for Comfort

Heat can be especially soothing for pain, according to the American Fibromyalgia Syndrome Association.

 Try taking a hot bath or using a heating pad to help relax stiff or achy muscles as you prepare for sleep. A heated blanket or mattress cover and warm, thick socks can also be a comfy combo on colder nights.

Go for Softness

Many people with fibromyalgia prefer a soft mattress over a firm one, as it helps ease sore muscles, joints, and tender points.

 If a new mattress isn’t in your budget, consider investing in a comfortable, cushiony mattress topper to improve nighttime comfort. If you are one of the many people living with fibromyalgia who also has a skin condition, it may help to check your bedding to make sure the fabric isn’t worsening any itch.

Try a Simple Relaxation Practice

Mind-body techniques — slow breathing, meditation, guided imagery, or progressive muscle relaxation, in which you release different muscles in your body one at a time — can help quiet the mind and reduce the perception of pain.

 Even a few minutes of these relaxation practices can help you shift into a more restful state before bed.

These steps should help ease pain and promote high-quality sleep, but if you’re still waking up not feeling refreshed, talk with your care team. They may be able to recommend sleep medications, tests for sleep disorders (such as sleep apnea, which is common in people with fibromyalgia) or other strategies for improving your shut-eye.

The Takeaway

  • Fibromyalgia not only causes physical discomfort, but also disrupts the restorative sleep your body relies on, creating a cycle that can intensify both issues.
  • Calming routines, gentle movement, reduced stimulation, and relaxation practices can help your body and brain prep for more restful sleep.
  • If nighttime pain or poor sleep persists, your care team can help you explore additional options and identify underlying sleep issues that may be contributing to symptoms.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Lawson K. Sleep Dysfunction in Fibromyalgia and Therapeutic Approach Options. OBM Neurobiology. January 20, 2020.
  2. Dorris ER et al. Sensory Perception Quotient Reveals Visual, Scent and Touch Sensory Hypersensitivity in People Living With Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Frontiers in Pain Research. July 4, 2022.
  3. Self-Help & Coping. American Fibromyalgia Syndrome Association.
  4. Aronov M et al. Association Between Pruritus and Fibromyalgia: Results of a Population-Based, Cross-Sectional Study. Cutis. August 2024.
  5. Berna C et al. Mind-Body Practices. International Association for the Study of Pain. July 19, 2023.
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Abhinav Singh

Abhinav Singh, MD

Medical Reviewer

Abhinav Singh, MD, is a board-certified sleep medicine specialist and the medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center. He is also an associate clinical professor at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, where he developed and teaches a sleep medicine rotation.

Dr. Singh’s research and clinical practice focus on sleep disorders, including excessive daytime sleepiness, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, insomnia, and sleep education.

Singh is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Sleep Health (from the National Sleep Foundation) and the Journal of Sleep Disorders: Treatment and Care, and is coauthor of the book Sleep to Heal: 7 Simple Steps to Better Sleep. He has received several Top Doctor recognitions and is the sleep specialist for the Indiana Pacers NBA team.

He lives in the Indianapolis area and enjoys music production and racquet sports.

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Laurel Leicht

Laurel Leicht

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Laurel Leicht has been a writer and editor for nearly two decades. A graduate of the College of William and Mary and the master's program at the Missouri School of Journalism, she covers a wide range of health and fitness topics, including breast cancer, various chronic conditions, mental health, and cardiovascular health.

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