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It is known that this type of epilepsy can be very difficult to diagnose but there are a few techniques physicians and patients can use to diagnose the sleep-related epilepsy. The initial step in diagnosing seizures that are associated with sleep is in the doctor's office.
Patient’s history - The person experiencing the seizures will explain a pattern of seizures that may occur, but medical testing can help confirm this.
Video EEG monitoring, which combines video and brainwave testing and captures the person's seizures during sleep, is very helpful not only in establishing the diagnosis, but also in really focusing on the kind of seizure that the person is experiencing during sleep.
There are very specific kinds of epilepsy where the seizures are more likely to occur while the person is sleeping. For this reason, it is helpful for doctors to have as much information as possible from eye witnesses about the seizure symptoms and times they occur.
Differential diagnosis
There are a number of different conditions that can be confused with sleep seizures. These include:
- sleep walking,
- sleep terrors,
- bed-wetting,
- restless-leg syndrome,
- sleep apnea and
- narcolepsy
READ Epilepsy/Seizures: What to do when someone has a seizure?
Treatment
The usual way to treat epilepsy is with the anti-epileptic drugs which are being used to prevent seizures by controlingl the excitability in the brain. Patients usually need to take these medications at regular intervals throughout the day, to make sure that there is a steady supply in their blood stream.
Anti-seizure (anticonvulsant) medications include: phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek®), carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Tegretol®), valproic acid (Depakene®), Divalproex (Depakote®), levetiracetam (Keppra®), gabapentin (Neurontin®), Phenobarbital, ethosuximide (Zarontin®), clonazepam (Klonopin®), primidone (Mysoline®), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®), lamotrigine (Lamictal®), topiramate (Topamax®), felbamate (Felbatol®), tiagabine (Gabitril®) and zonisamide (Zonegran®).
Strategies for getting a good night's sleep
- Make sure your sleeping environment is quiet and dark.
- Go to bed at least half an hour before trying to fall asleep.
- Read in bed instead of watching television (unless reading a good novel keeps you awake and TV puts you to sleep).
- Avoid caffeine for at least 6 hours before bedtime.
- Have no more than one alcoholic beverage a day.
- Exercise daily but do not exercise within a few hours before going to bed