
You can't get deep sleep because the brain is trying to stay alert to fend off that danger (that isn't really there). Lack of sleep causes fatigue and prevents adequate growth hormone release. Without essential amounts of the growth hormone your body can't repair and process tissue repair correctly and that leads to pain.
These new pain signals travel to the brain and overwhelm the nervous system which causes it to become hyper-reactive to pain. With all this bombardment, the nervous system begins interpreting pain signals incorrectly and that leads to irritability of even the lightest touch that is experienced as REAL pain.
This stress response is the body's alarm reaction. It is not under conscious control; it is controlled in the deep primal parts of the brain. So you don't have to be thinking about responding to stress; it is a reflex. The hypothalamus, a gland deep in the brain, directs the stress response. It is believed from recent research that the culprit may have been started right here. Somehow the hypothalamus is unable to turn that switch back off.
The hypothalamus is the master of control. It regulates the release of adrenaline and controls the autonomic nervous system which regulates: blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, digestion, and urination. This is the essential autopilot that keeps your system running smooth. I am almost certain you've experienced an issue with one of the above organs at one time or another.
Because of this fight-or-flight response that is "stuck on" fibromyalgia symptoms become so over-activated that it becomes less able to respond to actual stressors. This phenomenon is sometimes labeled as "adrenal fatigue" by alternative health care practitioners.
You can see why many people are seeking alternative treatments before becoming inundated with one prescription after another to mask new symptoms popping up regularly. Check back here each week for alternate treatments to try. We are all different! You never know which one will work best for you!