10 Most Common Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

#6 Exhaustion

Chronic fatigue and exhaustion also occur in a large percentage of fibromyalgia patients. Doctors believe it has two root causes. First, the fibromyalgia syndrome itself seems to drain patients of energy, even if they aren’t overexerting themselves physically or mentally. In other words, fatigue and exhaustion are core symptoms of the condition, and occur for no other reason.

However, a growing body of researchers believe that the fatigue and exhaustion symptoms may be exacerbated or even caused by sleep disturbances. The pain and muscle spasms caused by fibromyalgia cause most sufferers to lose sleep. Over time, this chronic sleep deprivation can lead to constant feelings of tiredness, which becomes a vicious cycle when the patient tries to sleep and can’t because of the pain. Regardless of the root cause, the chronic fatigue and exhaustion caused by fibromyalgia will eventually take a toll on the immune system, and cause the patient’s energy levels to plummet.