Multiple Sclerosis and Sleep

Sleep problems, or disorders, are conditions that prevent a person from getting restful sleep and as a result, cause daytime sleepiness. There are about 80 different types of sleep disorders and about 70 million Americans suffer from them. The inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep, called insomnia, is the most common sleep disorder.

Many people with multiple sclerosis complain of insomnia or broken sleep patterns, yet sleep problems may not directly be the result of the disease itself. Many sleep problems occur because of secondary factors such as stress, spasticity, inactivity, or depression that people with MS often have. Other symptoms of sleep problems may be caused by the location of MS lesions within the brain.

People with MS often have trouble staying asleep because of spasticity, especially in the legs, or an increased need to go to the bathroom at night because of bladder problems. Talk to your doctor about what is keeping you up at night; there may be medications he or she can prescribe to improve the problem.

Visit our MS Learning Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/msviewsandnews