ABSTRACT
Fibromyalgia (FM) is not a disease, but a syndrome that is characterized by centralized sensitization of afferent inputs into the spinal cord from tactile, chemical, thermal, and nociceptive stimuli, which leads to amplified pain. Sleep pathology is a unifying feature of the syndrome, and improvement in sleep architecture is the principal treatment goal. Improved quality of sleep in FM has been correlated with decreased musculoskeletal pain, better quality of life, and less fatigue. The Jenkins Sleep Scale is a -item questionnaire that evaluates the frequency and intensity of certain sleep difficulties in respondents. Work by Muhammad Yunus in 1981 statistically correlated tender points with fatigue, functional bowel disease, sleep pathology, tension headache, and other systemic symptoms. Most of these individuals have preexisting risk factors such as psychosocial stressors, poor sleep habits, or myofascial pain syndrome. FM is a subset of chronic widespread pain.
