What is Morning Stiffness?

Morning stiffness is pretty self-explanatory – it’s stiffness that you feel when you first wake up in the morning. But what does this stiffness actually feel like? Well, most sufferers describe morning stiffness as a tightness in the muscles and joints throughout the body. This muscle joint stiffness usually lasts for at least 30 minutes, though it can last for hours. It also doesn’t exclusively occur in the morning – it can continue well into the afternoon and evening. This stiffness can impede movement and range of motion as well as cause aches and pains throughout the body.

The majority of fibromyalgia sufferers seem to experience morning stiffness at some point during their illness. At least 70% of people with fibromyalgia deal with morning stiffness on a regular basis. 50% of these people experience chronic morning soreness and stiffness that lasts for hours, day after day. This morning stiffness can have a huge impact on a person’s daily activities, making it difficult to sit, stand, or rest for extended periods of time.