Going to sleep while exhausted

[Buffheart]

Do you have seizures if you go to sleep while you are exhausted? If so, is there anything you do to prevent seizures? What kind of seizures do you have?


Also, I wanted to update you on my neurologist search. Today I was finally able to talk to someone at one the regional Epilepsy centers, only to find out my insurance requires a referral. So I had to call my GP and hope he will refer me. Lucikly he is one of my two doctors who thinks I am having seizures.

[Endless]

This is so good, buffheart!

IMHO, the best way to prevent seizurers in your sleep is to take your meds, when you get them. In the meantime there are a few meds that are used as rescue meds (like ativan). I'm not sure that's helpful because you won't know ahead of time when you are going to have a seizure in your sleep, so you wouldn't take the rescue med. I don't know how your PCP would feel about prescribing them until you get in to see the neurologist.

Is there a reason you are concerned? Are nighttime seizures the norm for you?

I used to have them a lot, now almost none at all.

[Buffheart]

I hesitate to call them seizures until I find out what they are. But I highly suspect seizures. I never really noticed much "wrong" until last September (2010). What happened was I had a dream in which I was having a seizure and I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck. I was exhuasted, dizzy, confused, couldn't see anything, and my whole body felt dizzy. I was very scared. For several months I didn't notice anything, but in January of this year things got worse for some reason. In a 3 week time span I had two seizure dreams. In one of them my left leg was shaking, then when I woke up my left leg began to shake in real life.

Just about two weeks ago I woke up at about 2 am and I was filled with terror. I could move, but I was so scared. But it was for no reason! I didn't have a scary dream and nothing scary was around me. Plus all the covers were laying beside me, but when I fell asleep they were covering me. I have worked with people who have seizures and have been told that sometimes waking with a feeling of fear can be a seizure.

Also, last time I took a nap when I was exhausted I kept jerking awake. I know "sleep starts" are normal, but this happened 3 times in a row. I finally fell asleep but when I awoke I felt even more exhausted than when I fell asleep and I kept smelling this strange rotten smell, like garbage, kitty litter, and something dead combined. This lasted for hours, but I thought maybe it was the kitty litter as we have three cats. When I asked my mom the next day she said she didn't smell anything, and she is very sensitive to smells. So I am wondering if it was a simple partial. Because of this I am afraid to sleep when I feel so exhausted so I push through no matter how much my body screams at me. But part of me thinks that if I keept putting it off it might eventually make things worse.

Anyway, I think I really need to go to sleep now because I feel like I am going to pass out.

[Loopy Lou]

When i'm exhausted and trying to fall asleep (or if i fall asleep on the sofa whilst tired) i find that i tend to have quite a lot of twitches which wake me up.

I find that those nights when i'm really exhausted tend to be ones i'll have a seizure on.

[Jfpinell]

Another case that I would suggest lavender oil.

[Buffheart]

How would lavendar oil help? Would it help me sleep better?

[Jfpinell]

Lavender oil is a relaxant. (No, it doesn't work along the line of valium) It calms the body. I get mine from natures sunshine on-line. It has to be high quality, or it really won't do much. -Don't bother with the bubble bath, etc. stuff in the store, that's really only good for scent.
I put a drop on my pulse and under my nose when I'm about to have a seizure, and it can stop them in no time. I'd suggest just placing a drop under your nose (or if that's too potent, just hold the bottle a few inches away and smell it for a few seconds.) It has a calming effect that can help you sleep better There are other things that work, but this is the one I always suggest people start with.

[lovemyladybug]

i've noticed over the years that when i go to bed reallly late , or after a really hard day it seems to lower my seizure threshold