Insomnia, MS, and the Longest Nights
There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that doesn’t come from too much doing, but from too much trying. Lately, sleep has been slipping through my fingers. Some nights I can’t fall asleep. Others, I wake up at 3 a.m. and just stay there. Eyes open. Brain racing. Body drained. Wide awake inside a body that’s anything but.
I’ve come to believe this is just one of the many lesser-talked-about side effects of MS. And it seriously sucks.
It’s not the kind of symptom people bring up often. It’s quiet, invisible, and persistent. It chips away at your energy, your mood, your clarity. You show up tired, foggy, agitated, and the world keeps moving like nothing’s wrong. And inside, you’re thinking, "If I could just get one solid night..."
But I’m learning to work with it instead of against it.
When your body doesn’t follow the same rules anymore, you start writing your own. I’ve stopped trying to conquer the night and started finding small wins in it. If I’m awake, I stretch. I journal. I breathe through the frustration. And honestly? Some of my most creative ideas show up in those restless hours. When the world is quiet and expectations fall away, my mind opens up in unexpected ways. It's as if insomnia cracks a door to something deeper — not just discomfort, but inspiration.
I’ve also gotten really good at napping. Like, Olympic-level good. My naps are sacred now. They’re the anchor points of my day, my reset button.
It’s not perfect, but it’s something.
Living with MS means I don’t always get to choose how I feel. But I do get to choose how I face it. And if that means turning sleepless nights into creative bursts or treating a nap like a superpower, then that’s what I’ll do.
So if you’re up at 2 a.m. feeling like your body is working against you, you’re not alone. We find new rhythms. We adapt. We rest when we can, however we can.
Even when sleep doesn’t come, resilience … and sometimes brilliance… still can.
Resources and Research:
National MS Society – Sleep Issues in MS: Overview of how MS affects sleep and ways to manage it
Kaminska, M. et al. Sleep disorders and fatigue in multiple sclerosis: Evidence for an association and the need for targeted treatment. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2011. [PubMed link]
Veauthier, C. (2015). Sleep disorders in multiple sclerosis: A review on diagnosis and treatment. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. [Springer link]