Fibromyalgia Tips and Tricks…

Invest in deep heat or tiger balm...

These can be picked up from pound shops, easy to apply and gets to work in five minutes. However it does give off a strong medicinal smell so if you want to avoid the smell you can use deep heat patches instead. These are maybe £1 more expensive but work for up to five hours (so long as you avoid a lot of movement).

Avoid Caffeine...

Caffeine is a stimulant which increases brain activity therefore creating more activity through the nervous system. This can increase the intensity of the pain. Chose decaf tea bags or herbal teas but if you can't avoid caffeine then at least don't take it before you try and sleep.

Take scarf or snood out on a cold windy day...

Jaw pain is a common symptom amongst suffers during winter. It seems the cold finds a way to imitate toothaches, so taking a snood or thick scarf out will help keep the chill off your neck and face.

Late Appointments...

If possible it would be helpful to book appointments for later on in the day. Having to wake up, get yourself ready and out the door by a certain time when you're having a bad day can be exhausting, so allowing yourself to take things at your pace instead can be really helpful.

Find a good TV series or book...

Although tablets alleviate the pain they don't take it away so the best thing to do is to find a good TV series to watch or book to read to take your mind off it. The pain is DEFINITELY not in your head but research shows the more you think about the more the you can feel it.

Massage...

A sports massage by a trained masseuse can give your muscles relief even if it's just for a few hours (people react differently in tensing back up). This will also get rid of water retention in your body and make you feel slightly normal again for a brief time. These can be expensive so asking for a gift voucher (as a present) off a loved one may be a good idea. Make sure to tell the person you have this condition, they might want to do some research on it before your appointment.

Alcohol...

Alcohol causes blood vessels to dilate, meaning it encourages heat loss (not a great start if you're on a night out in the north), but it also causes inflammation which worsen symptoms.

Gentle Stretches...

Gentle stretching once or twice a day for five to ten minutes encourages your muscles to relax. Pair these stretches with spa or peaceful music and deep breathing and you'll find it is also mentally good for you. I personally prefer to do this once a night before bed. You're not after a rigorous work out, just a few simple warming up exercises to feel relief in your muscles.

Hot Water Bottles and Ice Packs…

Hot water bottles are mainly used for period pain because they help ease cramping meaning they should also work around other parts of the body. However, ice packs make the blood vessels thinner which is ideal for headache relief or neck pain.

Avoid Artificial Sweeteners...

Artificial sweeteners are found in food and drink products marked 'sugar free' or 'diet'. Scientifically, I'm not going to explain why but I've found an article that will help you understand why.

Electric Blanket...

I was skeptical of using an electric blanket because I'm a worrier. I put off using one for ages because I thought I might be found burned to a crisp...it never happened. I would put it on before going to sleep and leave it on an all night setting. I noticed a huge amount of difference in my joints (ankles, knees, hips) when waking up. The only downside was it encouraged turning my alarm off and going back to sleep (which I did on numerous occasions).

Doing all these things won't make the condition disappear but hopefully they should alleviate some pain and make life a bit more comfortable.