As a direct factor that can lead to insomnia is the location of lesions in the central nervous system. Often these problems occur as secondary effects of factors such as stress, spasticity, lack of activity (in general), depression or anxiety. Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep is recognized as insomnia, one of the well-known sleep disorders.
Studies show that the prevalence of sleep problems is significantly higher in people with MS than in the general population or in people who are suffering from other chronic diseases, and these problems are independent of age, sex, education, specific treatment and disease duration, but are related to anxiety and depression. Often insomnia marks the onset of a depressive episode and is among the main complaints of patients.
There are several symptoms of insomnia:
- early morning awakening, by four o'clock or five in the morning, with a sinister restlessness and considerations, with a fear of the next day,
- difficulty falling asleep, waking up repeatedly during the night.
- waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep
Fatigue is subject to insomnia, the depressed person is not felling restful after sleep. Some forms of depression are accompanied by an extension of time sleeping (hypersomnia), but without being felt as a boon. Improving sleep quality by treating insomnia is associated with decrease of psychological tension or loss of physically and mentally discomfort created by lack of sleep and optimal rest required.
Individual group therapy or psychotherapy is a treatment that is effective in improving sleep quality when insomnia is caused or related to mental and emotional state of the person. Of course this psychological treatments does not have maximum effect and aren't enough in addressing the multitude of factors that can lead to insomnia in multiple sclerosis patients.
For insomnia causes on physiological level (bladder problems, spasticity, etc..) the treatment is based on drugs, but changes in the daily schedule, lifestyle and diet can lead to significant improvements.
Suggestions to avoid Insomnia:
- Relax before sleeping. Try not to resume all daily problems or to worry about tomorrow's schedule.
- Go to sleep when you're tired.
- Adapt light, temperature and sit comfortable in bed. If you do not fall asleep in the first 10-15 minutes, get up and try to do something active that can increase levels of physical fatigue. Do not stay in bed counting the seconds or waiting to fall asleep. That would be something unpleasant activity. So, in that why you will not associate insomnia with pleasurable activities. Return to bed only when you feel tired.
- If insomnia often occur at night, avoid sleeping during the day. You can rest without sleeping.
- Avoid using the bed for other activities (reading, eating, playing cards) than sleep and sex. Thus your body and your mind will associate the bed only to those activities.
- Do not worry about the possibility of having sleep disorders. As you will focus on this topic, before sleeping, anxiety will grow and it will reactivate other thoughts (on the same topic or related topics) that will lead to a longer period of sleeplessness.
- Do not make a preoccupation to count how many hours you sleep at night and how many have been up. You can make such an estimate in the morning.
