This is driving me nuts.

I've had maybe 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night since last thursday. Sometimes not even that much. I will either lay awake and not fall asleep, or I'll fall asleep and wake up 3 or 4 hours later.

Tonight things are weird. I was tired all day. I wanted to take a nap this afternoon but all I managed was to fall asleep at my computer desk while I was knitting. Was probably only asleep about 20 minutes before a phone call woke me up.

Now tonight...ok, this morning, I've been laying here for a couple of hours, not sleeping and feeling really weird. Those cold symptoms I had yesterday, my dad thought they were from the flu shot, because they seem to have gone away except for the sniffles. But, my throat feels weird. I took some baclofen and one or all 3 of the pills felt like they didnt go down. I had to drink a bunch of water to help that sensation go away, which it hasnt really yet. My throat feels dry and like I cant swallow right. I also had a few seconds earlier where I felt like my breath got caught in my throat. Kind of scared me.

I feel very very very anxious and maybe the teeniest bit manic or something. I just cant sleep. I feel like I did when I was on steroids earlier this year. I'm not on steroids right now, and when I drink pop, I drink the non-caffeine kind because my dad cant have caffeine and we both drink the same stuff.

I'm supposed to go out tonight with my parents and my sister and her family and one of my dad's sisters. I dont think I'll be able to do it if I dont get some sleep. Soon!

I'm considering taking an ativan (not a whole one) or another sleeping pill I have (cant think of the name, and it also wouldnt be a whole pill either)

I'm just worried now that I'll oversleep and not get up in time for our dinner reservations...and my back and shoulder hurt like crazy for some reason and my right foot keeps getting an itchy sensation that makes my foot twitch.

Can someone tell the MS trolls to leave me the blankety-blank-blank-blank alone...I'm about to start crying from frustration, and that will just make things worse.

Sorry if I'm venting. Sometimes venting about it seems to calm me down and lets me sleep for a bit. Hopefully it works.

I think I'll go sit in my lazy-boy chair and see if sleep happens there.

Sleep. the great, elusive bully. Either I am getting to see him too much, or too little. I get really angry when someone calls at 6am! or at 11pm. I work hard to get to sleep, and stay asleep, and once an event happens, its over. I may as well get up.

Have you tried meditating? resting can be a pick up as much as a nap. Try the good night toes and ask your toes to relax, and good night ankles and ask your ankles to relax till you get to your hairline. I find that sometimes faking it helps. I mimic the breathing pattern I would display if I was asleep already and allow my body to sink heavily into the pillow. even if I feel stupid I keep going. Frequently this will tip me over the edge. its like I cant get my mind to SHUT UP! and I have to force my body to take over its role as a parent.

I hope you feel better.

I think I fell asleep around 6am or a little after that.

I woke up a couple of times, but pretty much was able to sleep till about 10 minutes ago. (1120am)

So, I probably got about 5 hours. I really hope I get some sleep once I get home later today. It's really strange. I fall asleep whenever I sit down and try to do something like read or crochet or knit, but if I lay down with the specific intention to sleep...nothing. Even after being awake for nearly 20hrs.

and I just woke up to some really stiff spasticity. Owwwwwwwwww!

stupid MS. I swear it's doing this to me on purpose. Making me sleepy and in pain.

and I am now Bipolar too as well as having MS. My neuro's nurse told me she often sees people with MS becoming Bipolar in time. She did also state there is no definite link.

I'm not saying that is your problem... MS does affect sleeping patterns. I would be up nearly 3 days straight with plenty of energy unable to sleep. Everything seemed doable.

This past Summer I became depressed...I reminded myself of the people in the Seroquel XR commercial. I was put on this drug and it amazed me how many problems were from depression and not what I chalked up to be MS symptoms.

Too, I can sleep on Seroquel Extended Release...Seroquel XR. No more Klonopin -- 3 to 4 mg nightly and still not sleeping. I'm now off Klonopin completely.

I am in the kitchen cooking meals I loved to make before the MS started in '92.

I don't know what the answer is for you. See a knowledgeable psychiatrist. Do NOT mess around with neurologists or your family doctor trying to medicate you.

Take care.

I dont think I'm depressed, or bipolar. I just dont sleep much apparently. It's weird. I think I'm actually happier now than I was 5 years ago. (got a boyfriend, live in a nice place, access to almost all the yarn I can get my hands on to crochet or knit with) Now that I know what's wrong with me with the MS crud and all. Hate the MS, but I cant really do anything about it.

I think I probably just dont get enough exercise, so I'm not usually tired enough physically to fall asleep.

I managed to get a little bit of sleep, once I vented here. Took me about another half hour maybe, to fall asleep. Then I got woken up an hour and a half later when my dad got up to take the garbage out. He dropped the cover to the kitchen trash on the floor, which is directly above my head. That's what woke me up. (we have trash service on thursdays, even if it's a holiday) I managed to fall asleep again.

I'm home now, full of tasty steak, mashed potatoes and mostacholi (penne noodles in a tomato meat sauce) and a huge bowl of spumoni. (biggest bowl I've ever seen that restaurant serve. Owners must not have been watching things as close as they usually do)

I'm just checking my email and then I'm going to go lay down with a movie on the tv. I'm hoping to be comatose in the next half hour or so. If I can stay awake long enough to actually get into the bed. I'm drifting off as I'm writing out this post. Better go before I end up asleep on my desk and wake up with an imprint of the keyboard on my forehead.

I hope you get some more rest tonight. It is the MS that does that to me. I will go for several weeks as you describe, hardly sleeping. But lucky for me right now, I am in the time that I AM sleeping. I treasure this time because I know it won't last. I just take it when I can get it!

Sleep Tight!