Fibromyalgia Flare: What Did You Eat?

By: Marcy Schoenborn

If you live with fibromyalgia, you already know what a flare feels like.

It’s not just pain.

It’s:

• Widespread muscle tenderness

• Deep fatigue that sleep doesn’t fix

• Brain fog

• Stiffness

• Sensory overload

And the most frustrating part?

It can feel random.

But biologically, it rarely is.

Fibromyalgia Is Not “In Your Head”

Research has consistently shown fibromyalgia involves:

• Central sensitization (heightened pain signaling)

• Neuroinflammation

• Autonomic nervous system dysregulation

• Mitochondrial dysfunction

• Altered neurotransmitter balance

This means your nervous system is amplifying input.

And nervous systems amplify more when the internal environment is inflammatory.

That’s where food comes in.

The Question Most People Don’t Ask

What did I eat 24–72 hours before this flare?

Because flares often follow:

• Blood sugar volatility

• Highly processed foods

• Poor sleep triggered by diet

• Alcohol

• Under-eating protein

• Nutrient depletion

Not always.
But often.

Food is not the only factor — but it is one of the most overlooked ones.

Your cells are constantly responding to:

• Glucose levels

• Fatty acid composition

• Amino acid availability

• Micronutrient sufficiency

When those inputs are unstable, inflammatory signaling increases.

When inflammatory signaling increases, pain sensitivity rises.

That’s physiology — not opinion.

Why So Many Clients Feel “Randomly” Worse

Because pain is the last signal.

The process often looks like this:

1. Blood sugar spikes and crashes.

2. Sleep quality drops.

3. Oxidative stress increases.

4. The nervous system becomes more reactive.

5. Pain threshold lowers.

By the time you feel the flare, the biology has been shifting for days.

The Bigger Conversation

At Scho Fit, we don’t look at fibromyalgia as a life sentence.

We look at it as a signaling issue.

Cells respond to environment.

If the internal environment constantly signals stress, threat, or instability, the nervous system stays on high alert.

If the environment shifts, signaling shifts.

That’s not hype.
That’s physiology.

Hard Truth

If you have fibromyalgia and no one has ever reviewed:

• Your food logs

• Your protein intake

• Your micronutrient status

• Your blood sugar patterns

• Your sleep quality

Then no one has evaluated the terrain your nervous system is operating in.

And terrain matters.

Before You Accept “This Is Just How I Am”

Ask yourself:

• Was my nutrition steady this week?

• Was I fueling consistently?

• Did I sleep deeply?

• Was alcohol involved?

• Was I under-eating?

Because biology is responsive.

And flares are often feedback.

We don’t give generic advice.
We look at your data.
We assess your patterns.
We adjust strategically.

Because fibromyalgia isn’t random.

And neither is improvement.

Fibromyalgia is not imaginary. It is measurable, biologically documented dysregulation involving central sensitization, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial impairment, oxidative stress, and autonomic imbalance — all of which are influenced by internal environment.

At Scho fit we fix the environment. And it is easier than you think

Core Fibromyalgia Mechanism Citations

1️⃣ Central Sensitization

Clauw DJ.
Fibromyalgia: A Clinical Review.
JAMA. 2014;311(15):1547–1555.
doi:10.1001/jama.2014.3266

• Establishes fibromyalgia as a central nervous system pain amplification disorder.

Woolf CJ.
Central sensitization: Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain.
Pain. 2011;152(3 Suppl):S2–S15.
doi:10.1016/j.pain.2010.09.030

• Explains amplified nociceptive processing.

2️⃣ Neuroinflammation

Albrecht DS et al.
Brain glial activation in fibromyalgia.
Brain Behav Immun. 2019;75:72–83.
doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2018.08.018

• Demonstrated increased neuroinflammation via PET imaging.

Littlejohn G.
Neurogenic neuroinflammation in fibromyalgia.
Rheumatology. 2015;54(5):784–791.
doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keu321

3️⃣ Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Cordero MD et al.
Coenzyme Q10 deficiency and mitochondrial dysfunction in fibromyalgia.
Arthritis Res Ther. 2010;12(5):R163.
doi:10.1186/ar3106

• Demonstrates mitochondrial impairment and oxidative stress.

Meeus M et al.
Mitochondrial dysfunctions in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome explained by activated immuno-inflammatory pathways.
Metab Brain Dis. 2013;28(4):609–616.

(While focused on ME/CFS, similar mitochondrial findings are discussed in fibromyalgia populations.)

4️⃣ Oxidative Stress

Chung CP et al.
Increased oxidative stress in fibromyalgia.
Rheumatology. 2009;48(7):793–798.
doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kep065

Cordero MD et al.
Oxidative stress correlates with clinical symptoms in fibromyalgia.
Clin Biochem. 2011;44(10–11):870–872.

5️⃣ Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction

Martínez-Lavín M.
Fibromyalgia as a sympathetically maintained neuropathic pain syndrome.
Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2004;8(5):385–389.

Cohen H et al.
Autonomic dysfunction in patients with fibromyalgia.
J Clin Rheumatol. 2000;6(4):180–184.

• Demonstrates altered heart rate variability and sympathetic dominance.

6️⃣ Altered Neurotransmitters

Russell IJ et al.
Elevated cerebrospinal fluid substance P in fibromyalgia syndrome.
Arthritis Rheum. 1994;37(11):1593–1601.

• Increased excitatory neurotransmitters linked to pain amplification.

7️⃣ Blood Sugar Instability & Pain Sensitivity

Gonzalez E et al.
Glycemic variability and inflammation.
Diabetes Care. 2008;31(Suppl 2):S150–S154.

• Blood glucose fluctuations increase oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling.

Goodson NJ et al.
Metabolic syndrome and inflammatory arthritis.
Rheumatology. 2009;48(10):1276–1284.

• Links metabolic dysregulation and inflammatory pain states.

8️⃣ Sleep Disruption & Pain Amplification

Moldofsky H.
The significance of sleep in fibromyalgia syndrome.
Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2009;35(2):275–283.

Finan PH et al.
The association of sleep and pain: An update.
J Pain. 2013;14(12):1539–1552.

• Demonstrates bidirectional relationship between poor sleep and increased pain sensitivity.

9️⃣ Gut & Neuroimmune Activation

Minerbi A et al.
Altered microbiome composition in fibromyalgia.
Pain. 2019;160(11):2589–2602.

• Shows microbiome differences in fibromyalgia patients.