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Exactly how important is sleep?
Sun, 04/03/2005 - 00:45
I have had epilepsy for four years now. It just started out of the blue when I was 19, and they still don't know what is wrong. I have had the right temporal lobe surgery, and all that did was lesson my seizures. Which I'm not complaining, but... But, ever since my seizures did start all I ever heard was how important sleep is and how sleep deprivation is the number one cause of a seizure and so on. So, from day one I always took a nap during the day. Even on the days that I wasn't too tired. I take somewhat of a lot of meds, so I can get tired around the afternoon time anyway, so I just normally take one then. They are usually at least an hour. Sometimes up to two hours. Then by the time I get up, the day is half gone, and so are all my plans. I ALWAYS have to schedule my plans around my stupid naps. That's just how I have always known how it should be...but would it kill me if I didn't take naps? It's such a pain most of the time, I tell you. I hear a lot of you talk about having full time jobs and so on, so I take it it must be somewhat ok. But, how much sleep do you usually get at night, about? Please let me know anything, because the last four years planing my life around my naps, it's just getting old, and if it doesn't have to be done, that would be great. So, please, I'll take any info. Thank you and take care. Cheryl
Comments
RE: Exactly how important is sleep?
Submitted by Kelly on Sat, 2005-03-26 - 11:24
Hi Cheryl,
My name is Kelly and I have had seizures for almost 10 years now. They started when I was just 20 years old. Hormonal changes from an unplanned pregnancy triggered a cyst in my Left Temporal Lobe and just turned it on. Doctors say that the cyst was there forever and completely benign, until I got pregnant. I couldn't keep the child due to frequent seizures and the cyst has been turned on since then. Every month when my hormones are at their highest, seizures occur randomly for about two weeks. Every month is different and all other normal seizure triggers cause even more seizures to occur, whenever they want to. Sleep isn't a major factor, although everything is a major factor when these horrible seizures happen to me. And every other epileptic in the world. It isn't fun. I cannot go back to sleep once my brain is awake, whether it be at 8am or 3am. Naps are very rare for me because I cannot fall asleep out of the normal evening sleep routine, without having a seizure. During normal evening sleep hours, the worst seizures happen to me. The Grand Mal Seizures unfortunately love to happen when i'm passed out. I have just begun to communicate online with others that have similar problems whether being Epileptic or living with those that are. If you would like to chat or just respond I am [email protected].
Hi Cheryl,
My name is Kelly and I have had seizures for almost 10 years now. They started when I was just 20 years old. Hormonal changes from an unplanned pregnancy triggered a cyst in my Left Temporal Lobe and just turned it on. Doctors say that the cyst was there forever and completely benign, until I got pregnant. I couldn't keep the child due to frequent seizures and the cyst has been turned on since then. Every month when my hormones are at their highest, seizures occur randomly for about two weeks. Every month is different and all other normal seizure triggers cause even more seizures to occur, whenever they want to. Sleep isn't a major factor, although everything is a major factor when these horrible seizures happen to me. And every other epileptic in the world. It isn't fun. I cannot go back to sleep once my brain is awake, whether it be at 8am or 3am. Naps are very rare for me because I cannot fall asleep out of the normal evening sleep routine, without having a seizure. During normal evening sleep hours, the worst seizures happen to me. The Grand Mal Seizures unfortunately love to happen when i'm passed out. I have just begun to communicate online with others that have similar problems whether being Epileptic or living with those that are. If you would like to chat or just respond I am [email protected].
RE: RE: Exactly how important is sleep?
Submitted by taran on Wed, 2005-03-30 - 17:22
After reading your post, I feel better about what I call my "sleeping days." I have a job in which my hours may vary, and though I try to keep as normal a routine as possible, I feel that on at least one of my days off I will need to rest and "catch up." There are times that I feel guilty about this practice, but I find that I am much more likely to feel my brain slow down and become foggy if I don't allow that for myself. This is my first time reading and responding in this forum...thank you for a place to find such support!