Is there a link between quality of sleep and vulnerability to having seizures?

[John-Forrest]

I tried to look this up on net, got a few medical articles that are way too technical for me. All I know, is whether or not I'm likely to have a seizure on a given day does seem closely linked to how well rested I feel when I get up. If I feel very well rested, I never have seizures. If I feel groggy like I didn't sleep well enough, didn't have nice dreams, didn't go into a deep sleep, I wake up feeling nasty - and I know I better watch myself that day.

Is there research about that? Doe it have to do with REM sleep? Or with deep delta sleep? Maybe one had seizures in sleep and didn't remember them? What is the best way to "learn" to sleep in a way to promote the "right" kind of sleep? Any drugs affect it? (I know alcohol doesn't help, I never touch the stuff anymore.)

Anybody notice certain types of sleep affect whether or not they might have seizures?

Who knows, maybe this is one of the reasons WHY we have to sleep! Perhaps people with seizure problems need more sleep. Good reason to sleep in, hmm?

[speber]

John-forrest,

I know what you mean...mine tend to come after 'weird sleep pattern' occasions. Luckily, this is usually only due to the times when I get really sick and have to sleep A LOT and I get something I dubbed a 'too much sleep' kind of syndrome.

If I can keep a relatively normal sleep cycle going, I've been able to even 'push the envelope' a little and try some of my old favorites again like drinking the occasional beer (only occasionally mind you and supervised). I also broke down and had a sleep study done...test drove and finally accepted the CPAP machine. I sleep really well now.

The sleep cycle is necessary for the body and mind to do 'maintenance' in my opinion...and it falls into the 'stress-relieving' category. Without adequte sleep or disturbed sleep (I'm going to go out on a limb here and play scientist) I believe the stress levels go WAY up...increasing the likelihood the seizure thresholds will come down.

[Bernard]

Yes.

Problems with disruptions to sleep patterns

and

neurotransmitters in the brain

[RobinN]

I also read that this is the time that cells repair themselves. All lights, including night lights need to be off in order for the melatonin to work.

[speber]

I never heard that one Robin...but works for me, I hate the lights on!

[RobinN]

"Light at night is now clearly a risk factor for breast cancer," Blask says. "Breast tumors are awake during the day, and melatonin puts them to sleep at night." Add artificial light to the night environment, and "cancer cells become insomniacs," he says.

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060107/bob9.asp

The presence of light causes the pineal gland in our brain to stop producing the sleep hormone melatonin, thus making us feel awake during the daylight hours. This helps regulate when we wake up and fall asleep. Melatonin supplements are sometimes suggested to help with insomnia or jetlag and can also have health benefits since melatonin is an antioxidant and has been shown to stimulate the immune system.

http://www.firstscience.com/home/per...eper_1797.html

http://www.mercola.com/1998/archive/body_clock.htm

Melatonin, which is used to treat sleep disorders, has anticonvulsant properties. The authors measured salivary melatonin and cortisol, at baseline and following seizures, in patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy and controls. Melatonin was reduced in patients with epilepsy at baseline compared with controls, and increased threefold following seizures. Cortisol also increased following seizures. Patients with intractable epilepsy have low baseline melatonin levels that increase dramatically following seizures.

http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content...11/1746?ck=nck

[John-Forrest]

I used to take Melatoin to try to sleep. Somehow it never worked very well for me. In fact, now that I look back on it, I associate a pattern of taking Melatoin to sleep with a cluster of some of the worst seizures I'd ever had. Though there were a lot of stresses going on (unemployment, moving to another state, breaking off with someone) going on, too. Anyway, I never took it since.

[RobinN]

How I am reading it John is the body makes it just fine, but we have to keep the lights off all night. I even read where a night light or the lights we have on our digital clocks and on the tv cable box can turn the production of melatonin off.

From an evolutionary point of view, melatonin may have developed as a signal to tell animals when to breed. In sheep, melatonin levels rise in the fall as the nights get longer and ewes become fertile — perhaps as nature's way of ensuring that when they give birth four months later, the weather will be balmier.

Melatonin is also an important regulator of the circadian clock in the brain, which keeps the body on a regular cycle of wake and sleep. Light, be it from the sun or electric lights, suppresses melatonin production.

What a few articles said is that the pills had limited effectiveness. Or like you found, a negative effect. Seems to me, turning the lights off and keeping them off until the required number of hours is the easiest route to take.

I also was interested in the above paragraph that stated it had an effect on the animals cycle. Could this also be the cause some are finding when they have seizures during a certain season? Just asking...

[John-Forrest]

I tend to have a problem with waking up earlier than I like, usually around daylight beginning. Maybe I should start wearing blinders. Interesting about digital clocks, one I have is very bright.

Thing about seasons is interesting. I wonder if people note certain seasons when seizures come more frequently?

[RobinN]

I have read that John.. .many times (about the seasons)

Yes our digital clock is bright also. I have considered ways to cover it, yet still be able to see the time. I am also making more of an effort to make sure the closet lights are off, etc. Sometimes it is difficult to sneak into bed without banging my toes, but I think these studies are important. I believe that anything we can do that is as simple as turning off lights, is worth doing.

[Bernard]

Thing about seasons is interesting. I wonder if people note certain seasons when seizures come more frequently?

Poll - seizure frequencies

[RanMan]

John Forrest;
It has been proven that lack of REM sleep does affect seizures and other health disorders.

I have recently been dx'd with Chronic Obstructive Sleep Apnia.
After my sleep disorders test the Dr. showed me the EEG from one night, I would stop breathing up to 50 times/hour and had 3 seizures and that I was waking up "post ictal" (moody and spaced out)
I have recently purchased a CPAP machine which provides constant air pressure and have noticed a vast improvement.
No more snoring (the whole family sleeps better now), more energy when I wake up, better REM sleep, improved memory (less short term memory loss), and most of all ~ NO MORE NIGHT SEIZURES.
Now maybe my Neurologist can reduce my meds.
I'm surprised that finally after 28 years I finally get an answer.
All this came about as a result of my wife's complaint to her Dr. about my snoring.

Randy

[Bernard]

Thanks Randy. I forgot to mention the sleep apnea and epilepsy connection.

[RobinN]

There is an insomnia diary towards the bottom of this page. I thought it might be helpful for some with this problem.
It is a pdf file

https://www.neurorelief.com/index.ph...=154&Itemid=49

[RobinN]

I was reading about the new version of epitraker and came across this blog on sleep:

http://seizuretracker.blogspot.com/2...ack-sleep.html

[Jason]

My third seizure happened during January 2003 when my son was still bottle feeding and seeing as I was off of work for the Christmas holiday I had been getting up 2 or 3 times a night to help out with my wife so my sleep had been disrupted.

My last seizure was following another restless night where I got up 2 or 3 times to settle my daughter.

I was on medication on both occassions but had let it slip a little so its my on fault I suppose.

[RobinN]

Epitracker doesn't work on a mac...

[TeeTees]

Yeah John....same for me bud.

I've had a real poor week again so far (since Saturday night's sleep), and therefore had a seizure on Sunday night, and also Last Night due to me waking up REAL early and not getting enough sleep.

[brain]

Epitracker doesn't work on a mac...

Seizure Tracker

This one will work on a MAC, Linux, Windows...

Hope this helps.

[eemcn529]

I have seen that the University of Michigan has done a study on sleep apnea and seizure activity. Since having sleep apnea interupts your sleep pattern I am sure there is a connection there.