Are Nightmares a symptom?

[MiaArrowsmith]

Hi
My 10 year old daughter has only recently been diagnosed with epilepsy following a seizure whilst sleeping in the car.
HOWEVER, since age 7 ish she has had MANY MANY nightmares. Is this linked?
Any suggestions, links, experiences, etc. much appreciated.
Ta much
AA

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Mia, welcome!

Her nightmares could be seizures called simple or complex partials. If they are seizures, they are likely to be relatively short (less than a few minutes). Even if they aren't, they may have played a triggering role by interfering with the quality of her sleep. Has she had an overnight sleep study done? That can be helpful for getting a handle on what's going on, and for checking for related issues like sleep apnea.

Best,
Nakamova

 

[MuayThaiFighter]

I know that when my seizures are more intense I tend to have some pretty vivid dreams and they manifest as nightmares. I've always had vivid dreams but not like the ones when I started having seizures. No clue what the reason is for me. I hope your daughter can get some peace soon. Nothing is worse then having your sleep disturbed.

 

[Melanthanie]

It's hard to say I know I have very vivid dreams and nightmares and have since I was a kid, but since I've always had seizures I don't know if it's a symptom or just my brain working in other odd ways. I agree with getting a sleep study done on her to find out if they are partials or any other kind of seizures.