A new study published in the journal suggests sleep problems might Quite a bit elevate the risk of sudden death in people with epilepsy. The detection of this association is considered highly relevant as sleep disorders have generally been neglected in research of brain health in epilepsy.
Worldwide, epilepsy is the third most common neurological disease after stroke and dementia with more than 50 million people suffering from it. It occurs due to abnormal brain activity resulting in seizures. Though epilepsy patients can gain relief through medicines and have disease controlled, some serious risks remain. One of the rare but harmful such risks is Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).
In SUDEP an apparently healthy epileptic patient dies unexpectedly without any obvious explanation. Spi-factors like breathing, heartbeat, and brain function are suspected to be involved but their precise interactions are still a subject of research. Scientists have now identified sleep disorders as another potentially important factor through their research.
As the study, epilepsy patients with sleep problems have a higher risk of developing severe health conditions compared to those who do not. Sleep disorders potentially hinder the body’s restorative processes and vital physiological functions during sleep.
The importance of sleep for brain health cannot be overstated. While asleep, the brain performs functions that are crucial to memory, repair of cells and stability of the nervous system. Epileptics, in particular, have always been advised to get enough good-quality sleep as lack of it can cause seizures. Yet, it is now clear that the effects of sleep deprivation are far more serious and the risks continue to mount.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a dangerous sleep disorder that is also prominently linked with epilepsy. Breathing is momentarily stopped multiple times during sleep thereby lowering oxygen intake and increasing pressure on the heart-muscle. Researchers suspect that these interruptions might combine with seizure-induced physiological changes and Much raise risk of fatal events.
Increasingly evidence portrays the link between sleep and epilepsy as very strong. Epileptologists are now focusing on sleep evaluation as an essential component of epilepsy treatment. Managing sleep problems could result in better health both for epilepsy as well as general welfare.
Doctors and patients should be aware that many sleep disorders are still not diagnosed. Signs like heavy snoring, tiredness during the day insomnia headaches in the morning, and sleepiness waiting for something to do are signs of sleep disorders yet they are ignored or explained away. This way, people remain suffering from undetected sleep problems without recognizing their deteriorating health.
More awareness among the general public and medical field is the way forward, is the message of research findings. Inclusion of sleep disorder detection in standard epilepsy treatment might soon become common practice. Recognizing a condition before it causes major damage is the preventive approach used by early treatment of sleep disorders in epilepsy for a good quality and longer life without SUDEP.
