20 Home Remedies for Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Fibromyalgia is a disorder that brings issues with sleep, mood, fatigue, and memory that is brought on by musculoskeletal pain. It is believed by doctors that Fibromyalgia is so painful because the disorder interferes with how the brain perceives pain.
Symptoms
There are a number of different symptoms that can hint to if you are suffering from Fibromyalgia. Many people with this disorder suffer from tension headaches, anxiety, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), and depression.
More signs that point more surely are: a nearly constant dull ache that is widespread (entire body meaning right and left sides of the body, above and below the waist) and has lasted for at least three months; cognitive troubles like not being able to pay attention to simple things; and fatigue from lack sleep that is caused by either sleep being interrupted by pain, sleep apnea, or restless leg syndrome.
Causes
Doctors are unsure of what causes this painful disorder, but there are a few ideas. The cause of Fibromyalgia might simply be genetics since it seems to run in families. Another idea is emotional or physical trauma since it has happened as a result of major injuries like a car crash but it could also be triggered by stress conditions. The last idea for the cause is infections. It is not unheard of for an infection to trigger Fibromyalgia.
Home Remedies for Fibromyalgia Symptoms
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Sleep
Sleep is very important when dealing with this disorder. While sleep may seem almost impossible, getting into a half decent sleep pattern might be able to help you at least a little. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and night; try not to sleep or nap during the day; and try to keep noise and light down when you are going to bed. If darkness and silence is something that you find yourself unable to sleep to, then just find an atmosphere that works for you.
Some people tend to sleep better when their room is cold and they have on a thick blanket
- Do Not Push Yourself
The vast majority of people suffering from Fibromyalgia get tired easily. Do not feel bad if this happens to you. If it happens, do not push yourself to keep going with the activity. Take a break, sit back, have a cup of tea, just relax until you feel you will be able to keep going with the activity.
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Less Stress
One of the presumed causes of Fibromyalgia is stress disorders. So even just stress can cause pain to flare even more. So try to stay away from stressful situations. You could look into different hobbies or things that can calm down. Some people with Fibromyalgia have found that gentle yoga can help to calm them while relieving some of the pain.
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Exercise
While Fibromyalgia can make even clothes feel torturous, exercise, if you can stand it, can help you in the long run. Building up more muscle has been found to help lessen some of the pain that comes with this disorder.
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Massage
Massage is good for relieving Fibromyalgia overall. It can be stress relieving while working ‘knots’ out of the muscle. Massaging the neck can help to ease tension headaches. So whether or go to a specialist or just ask a friend to rub your back, it might be worth a shot.
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Yoga
Yoga was shortly mentioned, but it deserves its own spot on this list. Practicing yoga is a good way to gently stretch your muscles so that pain is not as strong or prominent as usual. It also a fantastic way to relieve stress and to keep mood swings. Following a yoga class (online at home or otherwise) for 75 minutes, twice weekly, has shown to help Fibromyalgia.
Try watching yoga videos online if you are new to the practice
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5-HTP
So, this short, four digit amino acid, is actually short for 5-hydroxytryptophan. That is just fine though because the amount of good it can do is just about as big as its name. It can stave off mood swings, calm anxiety and depression, stiffness, and pain in general.
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Meditation
Not only does meditation relieve stress, but it can also help to ease pain, depression, and help you sleep better at night. Try meditating before bed to relax your mind.
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Diet
There are foods that can cause Fibromyalgia to flare up. One to see what it is to pick a food group, drop it for a day or two and slowly introduce foods from each group to see what it was. Keep a food general of what you eat so you know what to cut out when it starts to cause problems. Once you’re done with the first food group, move onto the next one.
Some foods to avoid are lactose, alcohol, processed foods, and caffeine.
Foods that people find to help or that don’t affect the Fibromyalgia are fruit, protein, bread, veggies, and nuts.
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Natural Supplements
Plenty of herbs, vitamins, and minerals can help to ease the pain, anxiety, depression, and insomnia that Fibromyalgia brings with it. Some to look into would be fish oil, St. John’s Wort, peppermint, vitamin D3, and ginseng.
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Music
Everyone has music that they listen to when they’re down. That is not a myth that people made up so they could listen to ‘angry’ music. It really does help to keep depression and anxiety from getting too severe. So when you start feeling sad or anxious, just listen to your favorite music.
Listening to relaxing music, like instrumentals, can also be helpful
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Over the Counter Painkillers
This might not be a favorite for more post people, but it should able to help with both pain and inflammation. So, things like Tylenol, ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxen sodium might be able to help to take the edge off a little bit.
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Puzzles
You can exercise to keep your body from hurting even more right? You can do the same thing with your brain. Sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, word finds, crossword puzzles. There are almost endless things that you could do. Just keep your mind going. Read some books, try writing one even.
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Tai Chi
Tai Chi, in a way, could be considered a form of yoga. Slow, gentle movements that take controlled motions and breathing. This can help to improve your sleep, pain, and depression. You could either go to a class for this or follow along with a video.
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Weight Loss
Weighing too much can cause even more pain in your joints because of the extra pressure being forced down on them. So going on a diet can lessen the amount of pain you are suffering.
Note: You might want to discuss this with your doctor. If you are not overweight, losing weight could be harmful. Be careful.
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Epsom Salts
Epsom salts are made of magnesium sulfate. Getting the proper amount of magnesium can you to be relaxed while easing the pain. Try soaking in a warm bath with two cups of Epsom salt stirred in. These baths should be about 20 minutes long and can be repeated three times a week.
5lb bag of Sky Organics Epsom salt ($15.99)
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Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar can help to ease headaches, joint pain, swelling and inflammation, fatigue, and gastrointestinal issues. The best way to use apple cider vinegar for fibromyalgia is to add one or two tablespoons to a glass of water, along with some honey so that the taste is bearable.
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Turmeric
Turmeric can calm inflammation which can decrease the amount of pain and stiffness. There are two different ways that turmeric can be taken to help with this. You can get it in capsule form, or you can make something called turmeric milk.
To make the turmeric milk, you mix half of a teaspoon to a whole teaspoon of turmeric powder into a cup of milk, boil it, and let it cool. You can drink this up to two times a day.
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Ginger
Ginger works in almost the same way that turmeric does, meaning that the anti-inflammatory components help to ease pain at least a little. You can get ginger in tablets, or you can make a sort of tea with it.
For making the tea, you need to boil a teaspoon of grated ginger (make sure it is fresh) in a cup of water for ten minutes and strain it after. You can alternatively buy ginger tea from the store. You can drink this up to three times a day.
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Water
Water is very easy to use for this home remedy. Drinking enough water can help your body to flush out toxins that can aggravate the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Try to drink at least eight glasses of water a day to get the best results.
Drink filtered and purified water for the best results
Which of these home remedies will you try? Comment below!
References
https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/autoimmune-disorders/fibromyalgia/
https://www.healthline.com/health/fibromyalgia-natural-remedies
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315393.php
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354780
