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Pain and fatigue, trouble concentrating, difficulty sleeping? These could be symptoms of fibromyalgia. No one knows exactly what causes this mysterious neurological disorder, but recent breakthroughs have shed some light. Read on to learn what scientists have discovered and which treatments can ease chronic fibromyalgia pain and other common symptoms� What causes debilitating fibromyalgia pain and fatigue? Researchers are still unraveling the secrets of this chronic condition, but they�ve discovered that trauma � due to a car accident, a violent attack, a fall or even surgery � is a key factor in most cases. �Part of the brain is activated and reliving the trauma,� explains Ginevra Liptan, M.D., director of The Frida Center for Fibromyalgia in Portland, Ore., and author of Figuring Out Fibromyalgia: Current Science and the Most Effective Treatments (Visceral Books, 2011). �It seems to get stuck in a chronic �fight or flight� stress response.� Most women experience occasional problems like muscle pain, fatigue or trouble sleeping. But if you have fibromyalgia, you face them more frequently and for long periods. One reason some people develop symptoms of fibromyalgia after trauma, and others don�t, may be linked to genetics, experts say. �Fibromyalgia, like depression, is more common in those who have first-degree relatives with the condition,� says Jeffrey Thompson, M.D., associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic and former director of the clinic�s fibromyalgia center. Here�s a look at the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia, and expert advice on how to deal with each one. Fibromyalgia Symptom #1: Pain Many people with fibromyalgia have chronic general pain and muscles that are tender to the touch. That�s because the nervous system�s method of processing pain signals becomes highly sensitized. So pressure that should just be mildly uncomfortable can be agonizing, Thompson says. �The brain �over-senses� pain signals,� Liptan adds. �This is also known as �pain amplification.� � Pain levels also may gradually increase over time, as if you were slowly turning up the volume on your iPod. Fibromyalgia treatment: You have to find ways to �turn down the volume� of pain. One method is by directly attacking the knots in muscles that continually generate pain signals. Your doctor can inject a local anesthetic (usually lidocaine) into the location (known as a �trigger point�) to physically break up the knotted tissue. This can also be accomplished with acupuncture, Liptan says. Targeted massage can also help break up painful areas. People with fibromyalgia who received myofacial release � a hands-on, soft tissue therapy involving gentle stretches � experienced pain reduction that lasted up to a month after treatment, according to a 2010 study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. If these treatments fail to bring the fibromyalgia pain under control, another option is prescription medications such as Lyrica (pregabalin), an anticonvulsant also used to treat nerve pain, and Cymbalta (duloxetine), an antidepressant, to reduce that amplification of the pain signal. You and your doctor may need to go through some trial and error to find the most effective treatment and right dosage, Liptan says. Fibromyalgia Symptom #2: Sleep Problems With the �fight or flight� response continually activated, it�s no surprise that people with fibromyalgia suffer from significant sleep difficulties, says Liptan. They wake up in the morning feeling exhausted and unrefreshed. That�s because people with fibromyalgia often don�t reach that deep, restorative stage of sleep. Women with the condition had twice as many �arousals� � moving to lighter sleep levels � as those without it, according to a 2004 study in the Journal of Rheumatology. �Patients look like they�re asleep and they might even dream, but they�re not going through the normal cycles of sleep,� Liptan explains. �They stay in the lighter stages � they float on the surface.� In some cases, other sleep problems may further sabotage shut-eye. �About half of people with fibromyalgia also have a second sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome,� Liptan says. This sleep deprivation can also cause �fibro fog,� which leaves you struggling to concentrate during the day. �If you keep healthy people awake for three nights and give them tests for short-term and working memory and their ability to multitask, they score identically to people with fibromyalgia who have gotten their normal amount of sleep,� Liptan says. Fibromyalgia treatment: Getting a good night�s sleep is crucial to managing multiple symptoms of fibromyalgia, from pain and fatigue to foggy brain. The good news is that there are ways you can naturally encourage your brain to get deeper sleep � and the No. 1 method is exercise, according to Liptan. �Exercise is vital for fibromyalgia,� she says. �It�s a huge trigger for your brain to get more deep sleep at night.� Repetitive activities that involve contracting and relaxing groups of muscles, such as gentle aerobics, light resistance training, yoga or tai chi, are especially beneficial, according to Thompson. So is practicing good sleep hygiene, such as getting to bed and waking up at the same time each day, avoiding caffeine and not watching TV or surfing the Internet right before bed. A calming nighttime ritual, such as taking a bath or practicing guided relaxation or deep breathing, may also relax you and prime your body for rest. If exercise and sleep hygiene methods don�t do the trick, a low dose of an antidepressant such as trazodone can restore normal stages of sleep, says Thompson. And cognitive behavioral therapy � talk therapy that focuses on challenging unhelpful thoughts and behaviors � can often help those with the condition stay focused and organized, he adds. Fibromyalgia Symptom #3: Depression About half of those with symptoms of fibromyalgia have had an episode of major depression in their lives, according to Bruce Solitar, M.D.,a rheumatologist at New York University Langone Medical Center and an associate professor at the NYU School of Medicine. Research bears this out: People with fibromyalgia were three times more likely than others to have had depression, according to a 2006 British study published in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. �Often, treating the depression helps [fibromyalgia patients] feel better,� Solitar says. Fibromyalgia treatment: Antidepressants such as Cymbalta � known as SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) � may ease depression and relieve pain. Cognitive behavioral therapy is also useful in treating depression and helping people with fibromyalgia better cope with their condition. �It reroutes negative thinking,� Liptan says. Fibromyalgia Symptom #4: Irritable Bowel Syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), characterized by irregular bowel habits such as diarrhea, constipation and discomfort, can go hand-in-hand with fibromyalgia � as can irritable bladder syndrome, which is marked by frequent urination and pain. �The functioning of the bowel and bladder are controlled by the same part of your brain as the stress response,� Liptan says. �When that�s in overdrive, it seems to affect other systems as well.� Fibromyalgia treatment: Prescription medications such as antidepressants or anticonvulsants, along with getting a good night�s sleep and exercising, can significantly improve bowel and bladder irritability. Depending on the patient, different foods and beverages can cause flare-ups in IBS. Liptan recommends writing down your food and drink intake on a daily basis, as well as your symptoms, to pinpoint food sensitivities.