Do people with MS need to sleep more?

Unfortunately, more than half of people with MS experience difficulty sleeping. Inadequate sleep leads to fatigue, the most common and one of the most debilitating symptoms of MS. It also causes daytime drowsiness, lack of mental clarity, and a reduced ability to use one’s resources to solve problems.

Do MS symptoms come and go throughout the day?

MS symptoms can come and go and change over time. They can be mild, or more severe. The symptoms of MS are caused by your immune system attacking the nerves in your brain or spinal cord by mistake. These nerves control lots of different parts of your body.

Why can’t I sleep with MS?

People with multiple sclerosis often have trouble sleeping soundly, but the problems may not be due to the disease itself. Stress, spasticity in arms or legs, inactivity, or depression that can come along with MS can interfere with a good night’s rest.

How long can MS fatigue last?

It can be acute (lasting a month or less) or chronic (lasting from 1 to 6 months or longer). Fatigue can prevent you from functioning normally and affects your quality of life. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 80% of people with MS have fatigue.

Does MS get worse at night?

“MS pain that commonly interferes with sleep is neuropathic pain — often described as burning, shooting, searing, or deeply aching. This pain can be relentless and is often worse at night.”

What does MS fatigue feel like?

Fatigue in MS is not just an ordinary tiredness, like you might get at the end of a hard day’s work. People describe it as an overwhelming sense of tiredness with no obvious cause. You may wake up feeling as tired as you did when you went to sleep.

How can I sleep better with MS?

Sleep quality can be improved by establishing regular habits or good ‘sleep hygiene’: try to stay as physically active as possible during the day, but allow plenty of time to wind down before bedtime. avoid getting overtired by doing too much, as being too tired can make it difficult to get to sleep.

Is MS worse at night?

Spasticity is one of the most common MS symptoms, and often feels worse at night. This is because it can be aggravated by reduced movement, tight muscles and pain from other symptoms.

Does MS make you very tired?

Fatigue is the most common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). It occurs in 75 percent to 95 percent of patients with MS. Fatigue can occur at all stages of the disease. The symptom is not related to the severity or to the duration of MS.

Does MS get worse when tired?

Fatigue is a major cause of stopping working or reducing working hours. You may find that your MS symptoms get worse during an episode of fatigue but reduce again after rest. Fatigue can also affect cognitive symptoms such as problems with short term memory, concentration or word finding.

Why do MS patients have trouble sleeping?

Causes of sleep disturbances in MS Increased napping during the day due to fatigue. Reduced physical activity due to fatigue and MS-related disability. Emotional changes including stress, anxiety or depression. Other MS symptoms including restless legs, pain, urinary or bowel symptoms, and temperature dysregulation.

Does MS cause trouble sleeping?

Sleep difficulties are actually more common in MS than in the general population. Sleep disturbance is a general term for a wide range of sleep-related symptoms and disorders, and can include: Difficulty with initiating or maintaining sleep, also known as insomnia.

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