Contents:
- Medical Video: Stopping the Seizures | Cincinnati Children's
- Signs of seizure during sleep
- Understand the cycle of epileptic seizures during sleep
- Why can seizures while sleeping?
- Prevent seizures at night
- Tips for staying safe while sleeping at night
Medical Video: Stopping the Seizures | Cincinnati Children's
If recurrent epilepsy spasms during the day when you are on the move, maybe there are still people around you who can help. However, some people actually experience epileptic seizures at night, namely when sleeping. Seizures during sleep are usually not realized by the sufferer himself so that it can be dangerous. For that, you must learn the ins and outs of epilepsy seizures following sleep.
Signs of seizure during sleep
Usually you only find out if an overnight seizure after your spouse, parent, or family member notifies you. You can also wake up with a jaw condition and stiff and sore body muscles.
If the seizure is quite serious, you might fall out of bed or nudge things beside the bed. These things can indicate that you were recurring last night.
Other signs are sleepiness all day even though you feel you have slept enough. You also have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or thinking because last night you actually lacked sleep.
Understand the cycle of epileptic seizures during sleep
There are people with epilepsy whose seizures will only recur at night while sleeping, but there are also those who can cramp at night and day. According to the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, if 90 percent of seizure episodes occur at night when you sleep, that means you have a condition called nocturnal seizures (nocturnal seizure).
When you fall asleep, the brain will enter a sleep cycle consisting of several stages. The stage starts from half conscious, sleeps chicken, sleeps well, until finally rapid eye movement (BRAKE). This cycle will rotate continuously three to four times a night.
From various reports, the most susceptible moments of seizures are when entering the half-stage of sleep, sleeping chicken, and when you want to wake up. However, keep in mind that seizures during sleep can also occur when you take a nap, not just while sleeping at night.
Why can seizures while sleeping?
When a person is awake during the day, for example, brain waves are in a relatively stable condition. However, when you sleep brain waves actually become more busy because you have to go into various stages of sleep only in the interval of one to two hours.
As a result of the increase in brain wave activity at night, the electrical signal responsible for sending commands to muscles, nerves, and other parts of the body becomes chaotic. This is what ultimately causes spasms.
Prevent seizures at night
If you suspect you often cramp during sleep, immediately see a neurologist. Your doctor may prescribe a more powerful dose or type of antiepileptic drug to drink at night. If you are currently taking antiepileptic drugs regularly, your doctor may change the dose to be lighter during the day.
Sleep deprivation will also trigger epileptic seizures. So, make sure you always sleep enough every day. In addition, you must avoid various other epilepsy triggers such as excessive stress.
If the seizure during sleep is very disturbing and the treatment from the doctor does not work, the doctor may recommend surgery. Surgery is usually a powerful way to stop seizures during sleep so you can sleep well as usual.
Tips for staying safe while sleeping at night
For those of you who have or often experience seizures during sleep, see carefully the guide to maintain safety at night following. The reason is, when you have a seizure you may experience a serious injury.
1. Choose a low mattress. Avoid mattress levels and mattresses that are too high.
2. Do not use pillows too much or too high. This will increase the risk of suffocation or smothering when recurrent seizures. We recommend that you use a pillow that is rather low and stiff.
3. Keep the table or other objects from the bed. In order not to be knocked or bumped, do not place items or cracks near the bed.
4. Install the puzzle carpet or mattress on the side of the bed. To avoid injury if it falls, provide a soft carpet on the floor. If the child is still very small, you can also install it railing (safety fence) on the edge of the bed.
5. Use it headboard. So that the head does not hit the wall, attach it headboard or a board at the end of the head of a bed made of soft pads.
