Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal pain accompanied by issues in sleep, fatigue, memory, and  mood. Research says that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations. It often affects the way your brain processes pain signals. Symptoms of fibromyalgia sometimes show after surgery, infection,  physical trauma, or significant psychological stress. There are other cases where symptoms gradually grow over time with no apparent single triggering event.

Women are more susceptible to fibromyalgia than men. People with fibromyalgia also suffer from tension headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, and depression. Though there is no particular cure for fibromyalgia, there are medications that can help control its symptoms. Even relaxation, exercise, and stress-reduction help to manage fibromyalgia.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia:

Widespread Pain
With fibromyalgia, the pain is often described as a constant dull ache that lasts for at least three months. Though, to be considered widespread the pain must occur on both your upper body and lower body.

Fatigue
Fibromyalgia often keeps people tired even though just woke up from a sleep. They report sleeping for long periods of time, but often get disrupted by pain. Many patients with fibromyalgia have other sleep disorders too, like sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.

Cognitive difficulties
In fibromyalgia, there is a symptom that is commonly referred to as “fibro fog” which impairs the ability to pay attention, concentrate and focus on mental tasks.

Fibromyalgia is often found with other painful conditions like:

• Migraine or other kinds of headaches
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Temporomandibular joint disorders
• Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome

Causes of fibromyalgia
The primary cause of fibromyalgia is still unknown, but it most likely is a combination of a variety of factors coming together. The following are the researched causes of fibromyalgia.

• Genetics
  Fibromyalgia usually is in the family. There are certain genetic mutations that can make you more susceptible to develop the disorder.
• Infections
  There are certain illnesses that appear to trigger or even aggravate fibromyalgia.
• Physical or emotional trauma
  Fibromyalgia is sometimes triggered by a physical trauma like a car accident. Even certain psychological stress can trigger the condition.

Reason for the pain
Research states that repeated nerve stimulation may cause the brains of people with fibromyalgia to change. This change results in an abnormal increase in levels of certain chemicals that signal pain (neurotransmitters). Also, the brain’s pain receptors can overreact to pain signals as they develop a sort of pain memory and become more sensitive.

Risk factors related to fibromyalgia

• Gender
  Women are more susceptible to Fibromyalgia than men and are diagnosed more often in women.
• Family history
  There are better chances that you will develop fibromyalgia if a relative also has the same condition.
• Other disorders
  If you are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or lupus you may also be more likely to develop fibromyalgia.
• Complications with fibromyalgia
  With constant pain and sleep-related disorders associated with fibromyalgia, it interferes with your ability to function both at home or on the job. The frustration of dealing with such an often-misunderstood condition results in depression and health-related anxiety.