I keep waking up during the night, even after my neuro upped the zanaflex to reduce the spasms that woke me up.
Last night, I didn't get to sleep until after 1 am, and woke up around 3:30 amand didn't get back to sleep until around 5am.

Is not being able to sleep a sx of MS? I'm usually tired when I go to bed, but when I wake up, it's not easy to get back to sleep. Even with the comfy new bed we bought a couple of months ago, this problem keeps getting worse, esp. over the last month or so.

Sorry you've been having sleeping problems Deb. I started taking Trazodone at night in late 2003 and I still take it for sleep. I only take 25mg now by splitting a 50mg pill in half but it helps me to get a good night's sleep. I've tried to wean off of it but I don't function well at all if I don't sleep well.

Dr W says its an old med with a long track record, cheap for the RX and safe, and it seems to work for MS patients (women anyway.)

Before I had this I would take generic otc benadryl if I needed to use something for sleep, I think it was 25-50mg and it helped too.

Good luck in getting some Zzzzzs.

i'm not sure if it's an MS problem or not.
but, your pcp might be able to offer suggestions, or your neuro.

maybe you need a sleep study.
it's very hard when you don't sleep enuf. i have a sleep disorder because i have fibromyalgia. i'm on trazodone too and it helps make you sleepy. but i'm also on ambien.

i'd check this out with your dr. don't suffer. i hope something works for you.

I have read that it seems to be a problem experienced by some with ms, while others cannot stay awake. I take ambien, and still have problems getting to sleep. It usually takes an hour or longer even when I am exhausted. I also wake up alot during the night. I plan on discussing this with my pcp at my next appointment -- may be sleep apnea.

(((((((((Debbie)))))))))..I hope you sleep well tonight.

I have tried to get used to my routine of sleeping, waking, sleeping, waking......all night long.

Thanks...you know, this has been a serious problem since around that exacerbation at the beginning of August. I, too, have fibro, and used to experience that not-deep sleep that causes those darn aches. But this is so freakin' different from that. And I absolutely can't take Ambien...I get weirded out from it...I guess I'll have to keep a journal of my sleep patterns for a few weeks and call the dr. if this keeps up.Thanks to all of you...I really don't know what I'd do without all the advice and support.

My sleeping patterns are like a baby's. I sleep 3-4 hours and wake up. All night long. I went to bed around 10 PM and now.....here I am! I'll go back to bed in an hour or so but be up again about 5 AM. I'm sure alot of it has to do with the schedules other people around here keep. Up early for work......I wake up, too.....no point in trying to go back to sleep until it's quiet again. At least I go back to bed after everyone has left. That's when I sleep the best......7 AM!!

...as I know many do. I 'think' it is the ms with me. I will go several weeks sleeping well, then go several weeks hardly sleeping at all. Meds haven't changed. I have been experiencing this for years, even when I worked full time and should have been exhausted. That was before my dx. But that is why I think it is part of the ms. I don't know for sure, but I know how you feel. My only difference now is, that I'm retired and I have learned just to take the sleep when it comes, no matter what time of the day it is. Right now I'm on not much sleep.
I hope you get some good sleep very soon!

(((Debbie)))


I go through peroids of not being able to sleep. I am tired, I am sleepy, and I crawl into bed, and I am exhausted, but...I cant seem to drop off that edge. Sometimes I am able to drop off, and get a good nap, and then I am up, and cant seem to drop back off again. It lasts for a couple of weeks, and then I am back to sleeping again.

Prepare for sleep. Get ready for sleep. An hour before hand, no TV, no computer, read a book, or a magazine. Do quiet activities. Read, knit, do puzzles, or sudoku if you have to. NO caffeine after 12 noon when you are in one of these periods. Give your body clues that its time to sleep now. Warm milk, or a warm bath help the body relax. Some find melatonin to be helpful. when you get into bed, play the relaxation game. Start at your feet. Say "goodnight feet" and then relax them, feel them let go. Say "goodnight ankles" and feel them let go work up your legs, your hips, your tummy, your ribs, your collar bones, your arms, and hands, and neck, and finally feel the tension in your face let go. Deep breath while you are doing this, get some relaxing O2 circulating. Take in a breath for 3 seconds, and let it out for 5 or longer. Try to take twice as long to let it out, as you drew it in. Make sure you have peed before bed. Cover any light source in your room. Tape over the light on the cable, or TV box. turn around a lighted alarm clock. Make it dark so your body gets cues its sleepy time. Then, take heart, this too shall pass. in a week or two, you will be saying "I am glad thats over!"

Feel better!

Thanks for more info...I do the deep breathing thing, Dej...I do a "body check", go down the body, relaxing the various muscle groups...I wear earplugs, since DH snores...I have a fan running all year round for white noise, and breeze.
I try to not think of anything while lying awake. I count my breaths...relaxing...but still just lie there for sometimes two hours.
I will start to keep that sleep journal..I had a sleep study and the only thing that came up was the restless leg thing, which I am medicated for...I thought that the increased zanaflex would make me sleepier, but no luck...