Turn Up the Heat

Climate and fibromyalgia: how to adjust the internal thermostat.

It is common for people with fibromyalgia to tell you that certain types of weather or changes in temperature worsen their symptoms. Many complain of being cold or hot all the time, or even bounce back and forth. Even within the same hour! And it is true, several studies confirm it: this symptom is called temperature sensitivity.

In patients with fibromyalgia, experts explain, the internal thermostat is broken, a “deregulation” that makes patients more sensitive to certain conditions. That is, if it is very hot, it is likely that the person feels even more extreme. Your body will suffer it in an exaggerated way, with more sweat, more thirst, more intolerance. This can cause the pain to decrease, but also the fatigue to intensify.

Some studies show an inability on the part of the body to adapt to the changes of temperature, together with a low threshold of tolerance to the pain associated with by heat and cold.

Is it that people who suffer from fibromyalgia have a different impact from external stimuli? Generally, yes. Many have extreme physical sensitivity to some situations. And the weather is no exception.

Pain, exhaustion and other typical symptoms are very associated with the weather. In winter, on the contrary, pain becomes the protagonist. People with fibromyalgia can feel a lot of the cold, and will take longer to enter the heat. In turn, the cold triggers the pain. Humidity, on the other hand, can also increase the pain in the joints, affecting the general state of the patient.

It is important to adjust clothing and heating to lessen these issues, and also take them into account when planning vacations and feel good becomes key to the person and family.

Recommendations for hot days:

• Consume cold foods and drinks
• Use an umbrella to provide shade 
• Use a visor instead of a hat (allows heat to escape through the top of your head)
• Wear loose and light clothes, made of a breathable material
• Avoid hot baths or showers
• Take a cold water rinse before going out and before going to sleep 
• Turn on the car and air conditioning a while before leaving, enough to cool the car 
• If you use a fan or air conditioning, avoid blowing directly towards you (direct blowing air from a fan can cause some dehydration)

Recommendations for cold days

It is important to keep in mind that in people with fibromyalgia the body is not able to adapt properly, so that the feet stay cold, and even putting on thick socks may not help to warm the feet; therefore, the environment has a greater impact on the body. Some ideas to prevent this from happening are:

• Keeping your feet covered during cold weather, keep feet off of cold floor, use slippers
• Dressing warm (however, dressing too hot may trigger symptoms of heat sensitivity)
• Drink hot beverages
• Eat hot foods like soup and oatmeal
• Warm up the car before leaving home
• Keep the environment warm and nice to have things like blankets and slippers on hand

One of the most important recommendations for both the heat and the cold is to constantly be hydrated.