is this epilepsy?

[kitchensink]

Hi,
I have been on cpap for the last 5 years and have difficulty getting to sleep and staying sleep. Just as I get the sleep i get a sudden surge of shock in the back on my neck to the back of my head. This cycle happens repeatedly with and without my cpap machine. Eventually my neck hears and cannot sleep. I also get a ringing in ear. my I ask myself if I will go to sleep today and most days I end up crying and praying that I go to sleep. For the last month I took a calcium magnesium supplement and felt better(I think) for 3 weeks. I then started getting back to my sport(squash). After that I cannot go the back to sleep and stay asleep. My family doctor is useless. Every time I visit her all I receive is sleep meds that do not work. Question: Is this considered an epilepsy?

I have started back again on 666 mg of Calcium, 333 mg of Magnesium and 1000IU of Vitamin d at dinner time.

Please help me if you have any suggestion on what to do..

Thanks

 

[Nakamova]

Hi kitchensink,

It's fairly common for folks to have a sudden sudden firing of the nerve synapse terminals just as they are falling asleep. For some people this shows up as a kick or jerk, for others it can be the kind of jolt, even a severe shock sensation like the one you describe. While it's possible that the jolt and tinnitus you describe are seizure symptoms, I think it's more likely that they are caused and exacerbated by your sleep problems. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnic_jerk for more about this.)

It's interesting that the Cal-Mag supplement seems to help. Magnesium in particular plays a role in calming the nerves and relaxing the muscles -- which in turn can help you fall asleep. A magnesium deficiency is sometimes responsible for the nervousness that prevents sleep. Lack of magnesium makes it harder for the body's motor nerves to send the correct messages. Low magnesium can also lead to the release of certain stress hormones in the body. The more stressed a person becomes the more magnesium is lost from the body. And sleep deprivation itself is a chronic stressor that can lower magnesium levels. So it's entirely possible that boosting the magnesium in your diet will help you relax and sleep better.

Best,
Nakamova

 

[Cardones]

My girlfriend doe snot have epilepsy and kicks me regularly as she is falling asleep. She just jerks loads, sometimes wakes herself up and then looks accusingly at me as though I shook her awake. I get jerks falling asleep too and it's often part of a weird dream or something. Very oddd, but very very common and is not epilepsy. I do notice it happens more to me when I am very tired or stressed.
I had problems with sleep for a long time. It really does suck. All I did to improve things was take regular exercise and try and become happy and content in life and eventually sleep became easier. Still have nights of frustrated clock watching but no more than seems normal. Sounds sappy but becoming relaxed and happy in everyday life means sweet dreams and sleep will follow!
Hope your sleep problems eventually improve. Don't feel alone lying there in bed wide awake at 4am - loads of people, including me, will probably be doing the very same thing!
And don't worry about the shock jerks, they seem normal.