Re: Sleep and Seizures

Posted By CCF neuro MD MM on October 28, 1998 at 11:38:24:

In Reply to: Sleep and Seizures posted by Nancy Nutter on October 27, 1998 at 19:31:49:






I am a 40 year old woman and I think I have been having seizures in my sleep.  I have been waking up in the middle of the night, with body jerks.  Lately, my head jerks and I feel like I cannot swallow or breath correctly, and I make a funny sort of grunting noise when this happens (pretty picture huh?).  I usually have a headache when this happens and I am prone to headaches and migraines.  I used to be a deep sleeper and dreamer.  
I spoke to a doctor when I first started having just the body jerks (about two years ago).  He didn't seem worried and gave me some medicine to take (Klonopin) which seem to work if I take it.  The symptoms seem to be getting worse with the head thing happening and I find that stress during the day, when I am not sleeping, can bring on the same symptoms.
I find that these episodes, besides leaving me tired,frightening.  I have always needed a lot of sleep, at least 8 hours a day, ten if possible, and I fall asleep the minute my head hits the pillow.  With the recent headline news about Flo Jo dying in her sleep of a seizure, I am becoming more concerned.
Can you recommend some tests that would help determine my problem or possible prognosis? Is this life threatening?
Thanks for you help in advance,
Nancy



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There is rally onlt one way to settle this question and fortunately it
should give a definitive answer, you need to have a sleep study (polysomnogram )
with simultaneous EEG recording. This is the method of choice to investigate your problems.
Your first step should be to consult a neurologist , ideally one who specializes in
epilepsy and sleep disorders for an initial evaluation.
There are some epileptic symdromes which occurr only in sleep, myoclonic
jerks can be hallmark of some of these epileptic syndromes so you really need to have this
issue sorted out properly.
There is a large epilepsy and sleep section here at the Cleveland Clinic,
if you want to have an evaluation here the number for appointments is
[phone]