A Question For People With MS

[Steven Y Park, MD]

Dr. Park here from the sleep-breathing forum. I answered Laura's question about sleep and MS here:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/756264

I'm taking an informal poll for people with known MS:

What's your favorite sleep position? Is it your back, side or stomach?

After I tally up the results, I'll give you the reason that I ask.

[GrannyJo6]

How fascinating! I think I have always slept on my side with the covers all tucked up under my chin. My main problem with sleep is night terrors! Usually 1 - 11/2 hrs after falling asleep. My poor husband has put up with the ear splitting screams for almost 40 yrs now! Not every night thankfully but sometimes in cycles. I know certain meds caused what I call "epic" dreams but am no longer on those. Is there any correlation between dreams, nightmares, etc. and sleep breathing patterns? Makes me wonder!

[sllowe]

Excellent.

I have a cough due to phlem.  I clear my throat often.  I have a tightening sensation in my throat (but not always). Have had the lump senstation too. You take BCBSNJ? ha/ha

-shell (dx'd 07)

[sllowe]

Uh, can you re-ask the question ref. throat reflux?

I looked for it, but didn't see it specifically.....

If anyone else sees it here, post it here....

thanks

[Steven Y Park, MD]

Chronic cough can be from a number of different reasons, including allergies, post-nasal drip, and infections, but acid reflux is the #1 reason by far. Stomach juices can come up (due to various reasons) and irritates the throat area (especially the gravity dependent side), giving you chronic cough, hoarseness, post-nasal drip, mucous, throat clearing, lump sensation, tightening, difficulty swallowing, or burning. One thing to try is to avoid eating late (about 3-4 hours of bed time).

I wonder how many people with MS have the above symptoms that I describe related to throat reflux?

[Octarine]

I don't have "known" MS (currently "under evaluation") and missed this discussion, but have one issue to add that relates to ENT and sleep disturbance.

Lately I wake up regularly because of coughing.  I don't have a cold or allergies, but I get a bad tickle in my throat only on the left side, and sleeping on my right side helps.  I think it's from saliva.  The left side is also the side where food gets stuck or pills "miss" being swallowed, and if food goes up my nose, it's on the left as well.  A swallow study said I was fine, but the speech/swallow therapist gave me recommendations that help with food and medications.

Anyway, knowing that swallowing problems are fairly common in "known" MS patients, I'm curious if this night coughing is a pattern among your patients with MS -- and what you recommend for it?

[Karen99]

In my case,  I believe that having my nervous system hyper-charged due to unrelenting stress, along with other factors (environmental)  caused MS to rear it's ugly head.  Looking back, I had "restless leg syndrome" then insomnia with frequent wakening and having great difficulty falling asleep for a couple of years.  No sleeping problems before this.  

Now......I fall asleep fast into a nearly unconscious state.  BTW, dentists have told me that I have a very small mouth, but there is no crowding because I was shorted 4 teeth that never came in :-)  

My brilliant neurologist recently moved from the LA area to Kentucky to "retire" from an 80 hour week to 40 hours a week.  He almost always ordered sleep studies for his MS patients.  It's been difficult to replace him.  :-(