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Sleep Disorder as a Triggering Factor for Relapse in Multiple Sclerosis
http://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/470904

Conclusions: This study showed that sleep disturbance might be a trigger for an acute MS exacerbation. Increasing the awareness of specialists and routine screening of sleep disorders in MS patients are warranted, as treatment of these disorders might decrease the likelihood of acute relapses.

Hi,

That makes perfect sense to me.
There are many ideas on MS attack triggers that revolve around inflammation or circulation. Central to those ideas is some impairment to oxygen availability.

If you can't get oxygen when you need you create an ischemic event. If it's sustained it becomes an insult to the body triggering reperfusion that impacts on ion homestasis as free radicals are released and atp breaks down into its purine bases. The lack of oxygen means pyruvate formed from glycolysis becomes lactic acid rather than feeding into the mitichondria to become atp. Basically it's a metabolic disaster.

Before my first attack I never slept well because a deviated septum meant I didn't breathe properly when I slept and suffered from apnoea. All fixed by surgery but too late. It didn't cause my MS but I'm sure it played a role.

Regards,

Or… could whatever is causing MS be causing the sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea?

Serum Vitamin D Is Significantly Inversely Associated with Disease Severity in Caucasian Adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome
Conor P Kerley et al.
https://academic.oup.com/sleep/search-r ... urceType=1


Is obstructive sleep apnea linked to low levels of vitamin D? March 16, 2016
Sharon M O'Brien, MPAS, PA-C
http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/is-obstr ... le/483478/

Vitamin D deficiency is linked to multiple diseases including psoriasis, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, asthma, periodontal disease, cardiovascular disease, schizophrenia, depression, and cancer. Now, researchers have shown a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and a higher rate of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). 

Researchers in Dublin, Ireland reported the higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with OSA.  Of the Caucasian adults recruited, 98% of participants with OSA were found to have the deficiency.


Obstructive sleep apnea may be associated with vitamin D deficiency, May 2016
http://www.belmarrahealth.com/obstructi ... eficiency/

Obstructive sleep apnea may be associated with a vitamin D deficiency. A vitamin D deficiency has been linked to numerous health problems including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, kidney disease, asthma, and cardiovascular disease. The recent findings now suggest that a vitamin D deficiency may also be associated with obstructive sleep apnea, too.
The findings come from researchers from Dublin, Ireland who report a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Among the participants of the study, 98 percent who had obstructive sleep apnea were also found to have a vitamin D deficiency. Furthermore, patients with severe sleep apnea were found to be even more deficient in vitamin D.