A chemical engineer of an oil refiner, Kristin normally had a high energy level and enjoyed perfect health, so she was utterly baffled by her symptoms. In her quest to discover what was wrong, she consulted a dozen doctors and finally, two years later, was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic muscle disorder.

The American College of Rheumatology estimates that this condition affects between three and six million Americans, most of them women of childbearing age. In addition to fatigue, another major telltale symptom is widespread muscular discomfort, ranging from mild achiness and stiffness to debilitating pain. Other signs of fibromyalgia include headaches, spastic colon, numbness and tingling the hands and feet. While the symptoms are usually constant, their intensity varies from day to day.

What causes this strange illness? "It's not know for sure, but we believe there are two main reasons," says Robert Bennett, M.D., professor of medicine and chairman of the division of arthritis and rheumatic diseases at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. "First, we think patients have a genetic predisposition to muscle microtrauma, a tearing of the muscle fibers. While very strenuous activity can cause microtrauma in even healthy people, the slightest exertion can bring it on in fibromyalgia patients. Second, victims appear to suffer from a sleep disturbance that interrupts deep sleep." This interruption causes not only fatigue, the doctor says, but also decreased levels of growth hormone, which is vital to normal muscle restoration and which is produced almost exclusively during deep sleep. "A decrease in this hormone may exacerbate the muscle deterioration," says Dr. Bennett.

Although it isn't known why, an accident or other trauma, such as an infection, is often associated with the onset of fibromyalgia.

For years, the condition defined diagnosis. Today, doctors can often identify the disorder by pinpointing a number of unusually tender spots on the body that are present in nearly all those who suffer from fibromyalgia.

While there is no known cure for the ailment, doctors say sufferers can be helped with stretching and moderate aerobic exercise such as walking; heat applications; massage, and extra rest. In some cases medication is also prescribed. For example, low dosages of antidepressants can help treat the sleep problem, although it is important to avoid sleeping pills, which interfere with deep sleep. Anti-inflammatory drugs may take the edge off muscle aches, and for a very painful area, the injection of a local anesthetic, often combined with a small amount of a cortisone derivative, produces temporary benefit.

Thanks to a combination of therapies, Kristin, who had to quit her full-time job because of her condition, now feels a lot better. Although she's still not symptom-free, she has managed to return to work part time at the Fibromyalgia Network in Bakersfield, California, where she actively tries to help others learn to cope with the disorder that changed her life.

If you think you have fibromyalgia, consult a rheumatologist or a physiatrist, specialists who can treat this disorder, among other conditions.

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Foods to Boost Your Energy

No matter what's causing your fatigue, eating right can give you more pep, help you sleep better - even prevent the weight gain that often accompanies the blahs:

• Eat *something* every five hours. For alertness, snack on protein foods like yogurt, tuna or low-fat cheese.

• Avoid sugary snacks. They temporarily raise blood sugar, which plummets afterward, leaving you more tired than before.

• Eat a balanced diet. Too little of certain nutrients can make you tired. Enriched breads, cereals and grains will supply many vital nutrients.

• If you have trouble falling asleep, snack on carbohydrates - popcorn, pretzels or animal crackers before bedtime to help tryptophan, a calming chemical enter the brain.

How to Get a Good Night's Rest

"The average person needs seven to eight hours of sleep to feel up to speed," says Peter Hauri, Ph.D., a sleep disorders specialist with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The trouble is, he says, many women today try to get by on five or six: "Consequently they're habitually sleep-deprived." Dr. Haun's advice: "If you can't get more sleep at night, try to take 10- or 20-minute catnaps." (But, don't nap too close to bedtime 0 that can delay your ability to fall asleep for the night.) Or, catch up on your sleep over the weekend. "A good night's sleep, even an hour longer than usual, can help a lot," he says.

You may be getting to bed on time but something is disturbing your sleep so that you awake in the morning less than refreshed. Here, tips for getting a good night's rest from Dr. Hauri and the American Sleep Disorders Association in Rochester, Minnesota:

• Make sure your bedroom is conducive to sleep. Keep it free of equipment, such as a computer, typewriter, or exercise bicycle, that reminds you of daily activities.

• Your window shades should block out light, and your mattress should be firm yet comfortable.

• Check the thermostat to be sure the room temperature is right for you.

• Create a restful pre-sleep environment for yourself. Listen to relaxing music, read a calming book or practice yoga before you get into bed. "But avoid strenuous exercise before bedtime - this can speed up metabolism and tell the brain that this is the time to be awake and active," says Dr. Hauri.

• Aim to go to sleep and get up around the same time each day. This helps regulate your internal clock to normal sleep/wake rhythms.

• Don't try to force yourself to sleep - or watch the clock if you can't. It's better to get up and read or watch a boring TV show until you feel naturally sleepy.

• Avoid going to bed hungry or too full. "Hunger pains will keep you awake," says Dr. Hauri. Also, over-eating may cause reflux, the backup of stomach contents into the esophagus, popularly known as heartburn. If this happens, try elevating your head with an extra pillow.

• Pass on coffee or a nightcap after dinner. The stimulating effects of caffeine can linger in your body for up to six hours and make for a fitful night's sleep. Alcohol may make you sleepy initially, but disturbs sleep later on.

• Don't get into the habit of relying on sleeping pills."Many people can use them on a short-term basis without ill effects," says Dr. Hauri. But the relief may be only temporary; sleeping pills don't cure insomnia. And taken for extended periods, they may lose their effectiveness or become addictive.