Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that can cause widespread pain, fatigue, sleep problems, and cognitive symptoms often called brain fog.
How it feels
People may have deep aching pain, tenderness, stiffness, headaches, irritable bowel symptoms, sensitivity to light or noise, and unrefreshing sleep.
Why it is complex
Fibromyalgia is thought to involve how the nervous system processes pain signals. It can overlap with anxiety, depression, IBS, migraine, and other chronic conditions.
Because symptoms overlap with thyroid disease, anemia, autoimmune disease, and sleep disorders, evaluation often focuses on ruling out other causes too.