Fibromyalgia linked to poor sleep habits

(CBS) Can sleep problems lead to fibromyalgia? A new study shows that women who have trouble sleeping may have a higher risk of the chronic condition, which is characterized by body-wide pain and tenderness in the muscles and joints.

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For the study, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Tronheim looked at the sleep habits of 12,350 healthy women. In 10 years of follow-up, about 2.6 percent of the women developed fibromyalgia. The risk was especially high for women who had reported sleep problems - over five times higher for women over 45, and nearly three times higher for women between 20 and 44 years of age.

"Our findings indicate a strong association between sleep disturbance and fibromyalgia risk in adult women," study author Dr. Paul Mork, a professor at the University, said in a written statement. "Women who often reported sleep problems had a greater risk of fibromyalgia than those who never experienced sleep problems."

Does this mean that treating sleep problems might prevent fibromyalgia? That's not for sure. But "sleep problems should be taken seriously," Dr. Mork told Medscape Medical News. "In addition to being a risk factor for fibromyalgia, sleep problems are also associated with increased risk of other chronic diseases, such as heart disease."

The study was published Nov. 14 in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Previous research showed that insomnia, nighttime awakening, and fatigue are common in patients with fibromyalgia. The condition affects more than 5 million adults in the U.S. - and up to 90 percent of those are women.