Widespread body pain is a common complaint of those suffering from fibromyalgia. A new study, published in the Journal of Pain, finds that people with fibromyalgia show a greater excitability in the hippocampal region of the brain.

The hippocampus is a brain structure that is sensitive to the effects of stress, and people who experience a lot of stress tend to have disrupted hippocampal function.

The study examined 16 fibromyalgia patients and found that each of them had greater than expected hippocampal response.

Fibromyalgia is a type of long-term syndrome that leaves that patient with many painful symptoms, mostly body pain and muscle tenderness.

Fibromyalgia sufferers experience pain in different areas of the body and it stays for many months.

Due to this ongoing feeling of pain, the FMS patient is always under stress and cannot get adequate sleep. Lack of adequate sleep creates additional symptoms for the patient.