What is the Current Understanding on the Cause of Fibromyalgia?
Current research indicates a central pain sensitisation mechanism for fibromyalgia. This means that nerves processing pain signals become super sensitive and amplify the signals to an excessive degree. A recent study (Petzke, University of Cologne) showed that fibromyalgia patients were more sensitive to both pressure and heat stimuli than non sufferers. This mechanism also explains why pain without inflammation or obvious tissue damage occurs. Sleep problems also appear to have a major link with fibromyalgia. The deepest phase of sleep, known as delta phase, also corresponds with the secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland in the brain. Along with normal growth in children, growth hormone is necessary for the repair of muscle damage, including the microscopic damage done to muscles on a daily basis. Sleep studies done on fibromyalgia patients have shown that in 90% of cases the delta phase of sleep does not occur properly. This means that the deepest phase of sleep is not
