Hi Everyone Do any of you suffer from problems sleeping. I wake up probably every half a hour, my legs and hips go numb and dead waking me up to turn over, then the other side does the same within the next half an hour, so spend the night constantly waking and turning over. Can’t remember the last night I slept and woke refreshed the following morning. Has anyone got any suggestions please. Thanks Deborah
Hi Deborah, I find Nitol work really well for me and they don’t leave me with that “hung over” feeling in the morning. As they are herbal they don’t interfere with any other meds either.
I like you only sleep a few hours at a time, but it is worse if I dont use my meditation tapes, you can get free IPods or buy from amazon etc. Your MS nurse might have a few copies also
Hi Deborah,
For the last 4 years or so, I only manage a full night’s sleep annually. The rest of the time, I’m please if I stay asleep for more than 2 hours at a time. A pity, coz while I’m asleep I dream I can run, swim, play football - in fact all my physical issues are forgotten when I sleep!!
I was just saying to my Mother when I visited her yesterday - I think for many of us, our problems stem from involuntary ivolvement of the conscious brain (…that’s pretty heavy …must be time to eat !!) If only there was a switch for ‘brain on’ or ‘brain off’, I imagine we’d sleep better and our limbs would actually behave themselves better !
Just a thought !
Dom
Wow!
No prizes for spotting the spelling mistakes in my previous post!!
Sorry peeps !!
Dom
I would suggest a chat with your MS nurse or neuro to see if they can prescribe something. It’s difficult to offer advice without knowing for how long you’ve had MS and what meds you take already. I’m just wondering if there is something they can give you to ease the symptoms in your legs that are waking you so often.
I know that a good bedtime routine is as important for adults as it is for babies. We need to take moderate exercise each day and make sure we unwind properly before bedtime. We should leave anything stimulating (TV, computers) off at bedtime (apparently sex is the only exception ;-)) and make sure the bedroom isn’t too warm. I think there is probably some good advice on the MSS website and/or on the MS Trust website about the importance of sleep.
I find that if I’m having trouble dropping off due to external noise then I play white noise (I have an i-phone app for it) which helps me to drift off. On hot nights I have a fan next to the bed which keeps me cool and provides white noise.
You have my sympathy; I sometimes have an odd night where my legs are achy and/or crampy so that I wake every couple of hours and I feel like a zombie the next morning. On these days I only do a half day at work and come home to sleep because I cannot function. I’m also in danger of coming down with a migraine if I have a bad night’s sleep. I can’t imagine what that must be like night after night.
Tracey x
Hi,
I take Amitriptyline for spasms/better sleeping at night, deffo makes a difference, although dont tend to have more than 3 hrs unbroken sleep!
Gd luck
14 years ago I went to my GP and begged him for sedation as I was fed up having complete sleepless nights. I had been like that since I was 19 yrs old. I had tired tabs in my 20 but just had a foggy head the following day. My GP stated that he would give me tabs that wouldn`t leave me that way. “In fact I prescribe them to old ladies” I was a 39yr old male As I said I have been on them for 14 years. I am able to get out of bed in the morning, make a coffee and read the papers on line. I have mg and they are called Zopicone in the UK or Zoldem in Europe. Maybe one night out of 6 weeks I have a sleepless or disturbed nights sleep.
Talk with your GP, and ask their advice, good luck. At least after a decent night you can handle the problems of the following day.
Support pillows may help, if you sleep on your side then a pillow between your knees sometimes helps the way your hips and legs are positioned and makes sleeping more comfy
Thanks so much all that sent advice, it is very difficult to cope with a full day at work when you haven’t had a good nights sleep. Still have my first appointment with my MS nurse tomorrow, maybe she might have a few ideas. Anyway must eat something as this is my lunch break, have a good day all. Deborah