Sleep

[shalpin41]

Just wondering if anyone out there might know the answer to my question. Can a lack of sleep or a change in your sleeping pattern cause a seizure. I just started a new job and am now working an overnight shift from 10 pm until 7 am. I'm finding that when I do arrive home I'm not sleeping well. I think I just need to find a sleeping pattern that will work for me.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((shalpin41))))))

Yes. Sleep is closely associated with epilepsy.

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My youngest son often seized upon awakening, and my oldest son tends to seize before falling asleep. Sleep deprivation can be a major trigger for seizures.

Sleeping during the day rather than at night can be problematic. My husband works the night shift caring for our son, and he is continuously sleep deprived from daytime noises (children playing, lawnmowers/tree trimmers, garbage and delivery trucks, etc.). Also, the body naturally produces melatonin at night to aid with sleep, which doesn't occur in the daytime.

Some tips I've learned to help are: the room needs to be dark, so if you don't have black out curtains, I suggest you get some. Earplugs or a fan or soft music to block out noise. Reduce your caffeine intake. Turn off the ringer on your phone. We have a sign on our front door, which reads: "Please do not knock. Residents are sleeping," which has worked fairly well through the years. We disconnected our doorbell.

Here are some sites with hints to help you with daytime sleeping (just Google "daytime sleeping" to find more sites):

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Best of luck to you and congratulations on your new job!

Love & Light,

Rose

[Tattoo2]

Definitely! Lack of a sleep is a stressor for me, and when added to the stress of a new job, that makes two stressors at once. Lack of enough good solid sleep has always been a trigger for a seizure for me, and I have also worked the night shift. I felt that was easier for me than having to get up early enough to be there at 7:00am which still caused me to get little sleep. The evening shift worked better for me as I could get better quality of sleep, could sleep late, and did not have to stay up all night. Evening shift can be a hard shift, but the sleeping issue was solved. Congrats on getting the job! Tattoo

[Porkette]

Hi shalpin,

Lack of sleep and stress are the 2 main things that can trigger a sz. I know that when I don't get enough sleep the next day I often have a few sz. Try to get a little rest during the day if you can
and I wish you the best of luck, May God Bless You!

Sue

[howdydave]

Absolutely!

I never had much luck controlling my seizures.
Then I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and got treatment for it (a CPAP machine.)

Seizure control immediately improved once I started getting a good night's sleep.

[Tattoo2]

Glad to hear that Dave. I often wondered if I have sleep apnea too, but for now, there is no reason to check. I started taking Melatonin to help me reach REM sleep, and I do feel better during the day. Very glad your seizures improved. Tattoo