Imagine waking up in the morning feeling that you have been working out all night, but you haven't even left your bed. You wake up so tired because you are not getting deep sleep, and sleep apnea (SA) is here to blame. Sleep apnea is a disorder that attacks the quality of your sleep and affects your overall health. This becomes a significant problem if you already have severe health conditions like seizures. Let's dive into how these two conditions are related and how sleep apnea causes seizures.
Sleep apnea is a disorder that not only attacks the quality of your sleep but also affects your overall health. This becomes a significant problem if you already have severe health conditions like seizures. Let's dive into the depth of how these two conditions are related and how sleep apnea can cause seizures.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea syndrome is a disorder that causes your breathing to stop, for instance, during sleeping, resulting in you waking up all night and not getting any quality sleep. This usually occurs when your airway becomes blocked (obstructive SA) or your brain doesn't signal your body to breathe correctly (central SA). Although occasional pauses in your breathing at night can occur and can be considered normal when they are repeated many times, it affects your sleep quality and oxygen levels, affecting your overall health.
The Connection Between Sleep Apnea and Seizures
If you are or know someone who is an epilepsy patient, you might wonder if sleep apnea and epilepsy are related. The short answer to this is, yes!
Epilepsy and sleep apnea are closely related and can potentially trigger seizures. Although it's not always present if you have a history of epileptic seizures, you need to be cautious. Lack of sleep, poor sleep quality, and altered oxygen levels can trigger seizures.
How it might contribute to seizures?
- Sleep Deprivation: It disrupts the normal sleep-wake cycle with a decrease in the REM sleep stage, known to suppress seizures. Moreover, sleep fragmentation at night increases the neuronal excitability of your brain, which puts you at risk of seizures.
- Oxygen Deprivation: During sleep apnoea episodes, there isn't enough oxygen entering the body leading to a drop in oxygen levels in our blood. This can potentially damage the brain cells leading to more chances of seizures.
Can Treating Sleep Apnea Help Prevent Seizures?
So, it brings us to our next question. Can treating obstructive sleep apnea syndrome going to reduce your seizure frequency? The answer to this is, again, YES!
You need to start your treatment right away, as we have discussed how sleep and seizures are closely related. For obstructive sleep apnea, your options are sleep medicines, surgery, or breathing devices that keep your airway open and improve your breathing. An oral appliance is also helpful if you have central SA.
Conclusion
Untreated sleep apnea can worsen the symptoms of people with epilepsy. Treating sleep apnea not only improves your sleep but it will make living with epilepsy easier by providing seizure control. Visit us today to discuss your options to help you breathe easy and sleep soundly every night. We are just one appointment away.