Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Weight Gain

There are circumstances that can cause people to gain weight that are beyond their control. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia patients find once they become ill they start gaining weight.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a disabling illness that causes profound exhaustion, muscle pain, sleep disturbances, cognitive difficulties and hormonal deficiencies and imbalances. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder that causes widespread muscle pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive difficulties ("Fibro Fog"), stiffness and headaches.

According to Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, author of From Fatigued to Fantastic, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients gain weight due to the hormonal imbalances, sleep disturbances and changes in activity levels. Hormonal imbalances, particularly the hypothyroidism found in CFS patients, cause the metabolism to slow down leading to weight gain. Cortisol, the "stress hormone", is often low in CFS patients and this too can contribute to weight gain.

Sleeping properly eight to nine hours a night also helps keep the body functioning properly and the metabolism healthy. Fibromyalgia and CFS patients tend to have sleep disturbances and insomnia due to their bodies' biological clocks going haywire. Because of lack of sleep and unpredictable sleeping patterns, weight gain is a result.

Exercise can become almost impossible in the beginning of these illnesses. The pain, fatigue and other symptoms of both CFS and Fibromyalgia can be completely disabling. If a CFS and Fibromyalgia patient try to exercise at the same intensity as before their illness, the ramifications can be great. Patients can become bedridden for a week up to months if they overdo with physical activity.