I used to wake up 3 or 4 hours early, and not be able to fall back asleep, every morning following a day I had a seizure.
April 30
Yes, seizures and sleep have a two-way relationship — each can affect the other. Seizures can disrupt sleep, and poor sleep can trigger more seizures. It's a bit of a frustrating cycle, but understanding it can help with managing things better. Here's how seizures can impact sleep:
- Nocturnal seizures (seizures during Show Full Answer
Yes, seizures and sleep have a two-way relationship — each can affect the other. Seizures can disrupt sleep, and poor sleep can trigger more seizures. It's a bit of a frustrating cycle, but understanding it can help with managing things better. Here's how seizures can impact sleep:
- Nocturnal seizures (seizures during sleep) can interrupt sleep cycles, leaving you feeling exhausted the next day
- Postictal fatigue — the recovery phase after a seizure — can cause intense tiredness, sometimes lasting days
- Sleep-wake disorders can develop, making it hard to go through all the normal phases of sleep
As one MyEpilepsyTeam member shared, "I recently had several nocturnal seizures and I am now very exhausted. It will take three days for my body to get back to normal." On the flip side, sleep deprivation can increase daytime seizure activity, making good sleep hygiene especially important.
Some anti-seizure medications can also cause fatigue or sleep disturbances as side effects, so it's worth discussing this with your doctor if you're noticing changes in your sleep.
April 30
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