Sleep, psychological distress, and stress arousal in women with fibromyalgia.
The purpose of this investigation was to compare self-reported sleep quality and psychological distress, as well as somnographic sleep and physiological stress arousal, in women recruited from the community with self-reported medically diagnosed fibromyalgia (FM) to women without somatic symptoms. Eleven midlife women with FM, when compared to 11 asymptomatic women, reported poorer sleep quality and higher SCL-90 psychological distress scores. Women with FM also had more early night transitional sleep (stage 1) (p < 0.01), more sleep stage changes (p < 0.03) and a higher sleep fragmentation index (p < 0.03), but did not differ in alpha-EEG-NREM activity (a marker believed to accompany FM). No physiological stress arousal differences were evident. Less stable sleep in the early night supports a postulate that nighttime hormone (e.g., growth hormone) disturbance is an etiologic factor but, contrary to several literature assertions, alpha-EEG-NREM activity sleep does not appear to be a specific marker of FM. Further study of mechanisms is needed to guide treatment options.
Shaver
J L
JL
College of Nursing (M/C 802), University of Illinois at Chicago 60612, USA.
Lentz
M
M
Landis
C A
CA
Heitkemper
M M
MM
Buchwald
D S
DS
Woods
N F
NF
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012895:Sleep, REM; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires