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stress cause night seizure?

Tue, 04/24/2007 - 08:42
Hi everyone, can someone tell me if tiredness and stress can cause nocturnal seizures in people with epilepsy even though they have never had a nocturnal seizure before? I'm asking because I'm pretty sure I had a noturnal seizure recently but as far as I know, I've never had one before. I have complex partial seizures quite often and if it wasn't for my medication I'd be having grand mals too. When ever I did have grand mal seizures at night, I always knew about them because I was awake at the time before it would happen or I'd wake up from my sleep and then have a seizure. I always knew. but recently my partner woke me up from my sleep because I leaped in the bed quite violantly and he thought I might be going into a seizure. I was confused when he woke me up and I fell asleep pretty quickly soon after that too. In the morning I woke up with blood on back of my hand from some where I was bleeding during the night. My guess was from mouth because my left cheek was a bit numb. My head was sore and my neck and shoulders were very stiff and sore. Later I discovered my head on the left side was sore to touch like a bruise but i dont remember banging it anytime. my partner didn't hear anything during the night either. do you think it's possible he was so fast asleep that he heard nothing? I have been stressed out lately you see with exams coming up and my grandad being not well and I need to know if it's possible for night seizures to suddenly occur in someone when it never did before. I have had seizures now for 20 years. any thoughts are welcome! Would be very much appreciate Thanks in advance Quirky

Comments

Re: stress cause night seizure?

Submitted by jbarry on Tue, 2007-04-24 - 11:21
I know that tiredness and stress increased my seizure frequency. I have only had two or three seizures while I was awake and the rest were nocturnal, although I woke up for the majority of them. I have had seizures for about 17 years now and I suspect that I might have at some point had more seizures than I knew about because I slept through the smaller ones. I have always been a crazy sleeper and I believe that is in part of my epilepsy. If your seizure wasn't huge than maybe your partner only caught the end of it.

Re: Re: stress cause night seizure?

Submitted by quirky on Tue, 2007-04-24 - 15:57
hi jbarry Thank you for your comment on this. I have been wondering to myself what the heck happened that night! Your comments are very much appreciated. Yes maybe he did only catch the end of it... that kinda makes sense if it wasn't a huge one. After all, I woke up sore in the neck and shoulder area, rather than all over. Hmmm, that must be it so. I didn't think of that. Thanks again :-)

Re: stress cause night seizure?

Submitted by Harrie on Tue, 2007-04-24 - 11:54
I find that stress does make my seizures more frequent. I no longer have them as bad as I used to. Still only at night. I feel it coming on and I throw myself out of bed so I get a grazed knee or hit the side cupboard. It sorta like i'm trying to get away from it.

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