Researchers continue to study many important connections between sleep and epilepsy. Aristotle observed this connection in antiquity, and doctors in the late 19th century recognized that most nocturnal seizures occur close to when a person falls asleep and when they are waking up. How Epilepsy Impacts Sleepĭoctors and scientists have long observed a relationship between sleep and epileptic seizures. There are many types of epilepsy and epilepsy syndromes. In people diagnosed with epilepsy, the brain’s electrical activity and connections become abnormal, with sudden bursts of electrical impulses that affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. Normally, the brain’s electrical activity is relatively orderly. These impulses travel throughout the body using chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The brain consists of nerve cells that communicate through small electrical impulses. Learning about this complex relationship can help people with epilepsy understand the impact that this condition has on sleep, know the risks of losing sleep, and empower them to take charge of their health. It affects around 1 in 26 Americans and is the 4th most common neurological disorder, after migraines, strokes, and Alzheimer’s disease.Įpilepsy and sleep have a bidirectional relationship, meaning that poor sleep may trigger epileptic seizures and, at the same time, having epilepsy can contribute to sleep issues. Epilepsy is a group of over 30 disorders in which abnormal brain activity causes a predisposition to seizures.

After effects of a seizure