The midnight club

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I don't know about you, Lou, but 4 hrs of sleep makes me feel lilke a walking zombie.

I can't concentrate. You know how some people misplace their keys, or leave their reading glasses in the refrigerator? I'm doing that all day, with all kinds of stuff. And my memory is horrible again, too. And my moods are all over the place. And I have muscle aches and headaches. And I get so tired when I do anything. Cleaning the kitchen is about all I can do for today.

Maybe your dad gets by on 5 hours a day, but I can't get by on the 2-4 I'm getting now and I'm guessing you can't either. Tell your dad that people need less sleep as they age.

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/variations/changes-in-sleep-with-age
 
Yup my moods are pretty much all over the place too. I either cry, get sad or angry.

I've had an awful lot of partials too, especially today.

I tried to explain to my dad that he's used to not sleeping much through years of shift work, and that if my brain decides it needs a rest NOW that's when tcs happen.

Also, do you find you crave sweet/carbohydrate food when you can't sleep? It's insane - it's like my body's saying it wants energy from elsewhere!
 
Oh, lord. I have been craving chocolate like crazy. Chocolate bars. Chocolate cake. Chocolate pudding. Chocolate donuts and chocolate cookies. And for some reason raw brownie batter. Chocolate anything!

I didn't relate this to lack of sleep. I blamed it on the lamictal. but it sure could be sleep.
 
I hate lamictal. If I don't get a lot of sleep I have sez. and angry and cry to. I'm not off this Keppra yet and it has made me very depressed.
 
1.43am and still awake, but at least my brother is here for company, yayyyyyy!

Also, i'm on Keppra too (3000mg a day), but i don't think it's that causing the depression and sleeplessness, otherwise i'd have noticed when i started. If anything it makes me tired and dopey, i just CAN'T GET TO SLEEP! lol.
 
Took Ambien and Trazadone together last night. Now that I think back to my Dr's appointment I'm not sure I'm supposed to do that. I'll make an appt. and go ask her. Anyway, the combo gave me 6 hours of solid sleep last night. Blessed relief! My head is stuffed with cotton from the drugs and it's hard to think, but my body feels almost human again. Eight hours would be so great - it doesn't seem an impossible goal anymore.

Q: regarding head full of cotton - why is it so much easier for me to type what I'm thinking than talk? When I talk it gets all mixed up and I screw up.
 
Sounds like Ur one of those "abused" lecturers who take on far, far more work than they should - Stop it!
 
Endless what are you doing to yourself>last night I had another grand mal. This is getting ridiculous. My boy was home. He called my friend across the street who has epilepsy. She came over it was about 8pm she called 911. I have slept so much I cant sleep anymore.
 
Are you okay now? How are you feeling? TC sucks.

Sleep - it seems sleep is rarely "normal" for people with E, due to either seizures or medication. Either we sleep all the time, or don't sleep at all. Either our dreams are vivid and mind-bending, or we don't get enough REM sleep and don't feel rested.

Interesting that the literature doesn't mention sleep disturbance as one of the more serious side effects related to epilepsy. Because so many of us seem to suffer from it.

It's about 3:30am, and I've been awake since 1am. Two and a half hours sleep again. At least this time I watched the "clark howard show" which was very instructive on financial matters. And checked my online savings account and paid bills. Time well spent. Usually this would take me about a half hour, but my head is so foggy that it took 2-1/2 hours. Ugh.
 
Endless, it's interesting that you said sleep is never normal for us. I've always felt that way about my sleep. It's hard for me to get to sleep, but then when I do I could sleep 12 hours and still feel groggy and tired getting up. Most days I get up because I'm embarassed. My husb. is up hours and hours before me. I feel so lazy next to him. My need for sleep seems to be increasing. I wonder if it's this medicine or the extra stress lately. If I took my med earlier in the evening, would it be worn off sooner in the morning? I guess maybe I'll try that.
 
I hate to see that the midnight club has been so active; I'm so sorry you all have been having such a difficult time lately.

I'm my usual sleepy zombie self, but I've got a case of nerves tonight; I have an MRI tomorrow to check on the little stowaway in my brain. I always get PMS- pre-MRI syndrome (haha, old joke)- even though I know that, statistically, it will be at least five years before things start to go south. The week before my MRI's, I get more headaches than usual, my right side feels weaker, etc.-things that would be consistent with new tumor growth-which funnily enough go away as soon as the results come back showing little to no change:paperbag: Strange how that happens.:rolleyes: Now I'm almost superstitious; if I'm nervous, things will be okay. So I should definitely be okay:)
 
My "Midnight Club" usually caters for the entire day given the complete annihilation of any regular sleep pattern. Hence I can be asleep @ 6pm; Awake @ 2am; asleep @ 10 am & awake @ 6 pm.
Like having jet-lag, shift work & clubbing hours rolled into one!
 
Hi, Elsie,

The sleep problems could be the epilepsy. Sometimes seizures wake us up at the end and we dont' know that's what happened.

It could be stress. Cause we are under a lot of it.

It definitely could be the meds. They screw with our brains big time. I was so sleepy on Topamax and Trileptal that sometimes I slept almost all day and all night, and my brain was so stuffed with cotton inbetween I felt rather useless. Back then I wished so hard that I didn't sleep all the time. I should have been careful of what I wished for!

Be sure to tell your neurologist you aren't sleeping. He may want to prescribe something, or maybe adjust your dosage, change what time you take your meds, etc.
 
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Well I know I'm under extra stress with DH's med. problems. And I know meds cause drousiness or lack of sleep problems. And I certainly hope it isn't seizures because I thought I was done with all that for now. Mine have never been nocturnal anyway... my nervous nellie brain running in circles keeps me from getting to sleep. Oh, well, if this is my only problem it'll be ok. Anybody try warm milk?
 
well, took my pills last night at 8pm, felt drowsy at half ten, went to sleep annd then woke up at 3am. That was over an hour ago and i'm now wondering whether to give up for the night and just get up. Hmmm...
 
Well, for a more natural way to get sleepy, I've heard that peanut butter somehow makes one sleepy at bedtime. I am not exactly sure why that happens. Maybe a specific food can relax us somehow. I'll have to research that.
 
now i have cravings for peanut butter on toast lol.

Nice and snug in my bed though with my two duvets and electric heater hehe.
 
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