Background/Purpose: Patients with the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) have frequent awakenings and poor sleep efficiency. The purpose of this study is to evaluate sleep patterns in fibromyalgia patients using an armband monitoring device, so patients could monitor sleep at home.

Methods: 16 patients with fibromyalgia and 3 normal controls were given an armband sleep device manufactured by SenseWear. Patients wore the sleep monitor for at least 4 consecutive nights. We assessed duration of sleep, sleep efficiency, and the number of awakenings reported by the device and compared those with  patient self-reported sleep patterns on a VAS scale of 1-10, with10 being sleep problems that interfere completely with daily activities.

Results: Fibromyalgia patients consisted of 10 females and 6 males. 


Table 1. Summary of the sleep study changes in the patients with fibromyalgia.

Controls
# of hours lying down (mean)	# of hours sleeping (mean)	# of awakenings (mean)	Sleep Efficiency
			(mean)
6.24	5.35	4.67	86.30%
Fibromyalgia
# of hours lying down (mean)	# of hours sleeping (mean)	# of awakenings (mean)	Sleep Efficiency
			(mean)
7.68	5.73	11	75.70%

Conclusion: Fibromyalgia patients wearing a sleep monitor at home exhibit many awakenings and poor sleep efficiency compared with controls.  Fibromyalgia patients moved around a lot at night, possibly preventing adequate rest of their painful muscles. Ambulatory sleep monitoring to evaluate sleep efficiency, including the number of awakenings and nocturnal movement, may be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of the myalgias of FMS. Patients can easily monitor their number of awakenings and their sleep efficiency without spending an evening in a sleep lab, and sleep evaluations might help in assessing the effectiveness of therapies for fibromyalgia.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/sleep-study-with-armband-device-in-fibromyalgia-patients-fibromyalgia-patients-dont-rest-their-weary-muscles/