Did you ever wonder if your sleeping problems were due to something else besides sleep apnea? Apparently there is one thing that is misdiagnosed as sleep apnea and that is nocturnal epilepsy.
What is nocturnal epilepsy?
I have written before about the connections between seizures and sleep apnea. But with nocturnal epilepsy the seizures occur while you are sleeping. There is also nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy that originates from the frontal lobe. Signs that you have had an episode of this are bedwetting, tongue bite, headaches and or being ill tempered during the next day. Medications that are used for regular epilepsy can be used for nocturnal epilepsy.
Is it sleep apnea or nocturnal epilepsy?
Sleep apnea is the cessation of breathing during the night due to blockage in the throat (unless it is central sleep apnea) whereas nocturnal epilepsy is night time seizures. Apparently there have been some cases where nocturnal epilepsy has been confused with sleep disorders like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and night terrors. Fortunately by having a sleep study done sleep apnea can easily be detected.
For more information concerning epilepsy go to the epilepsy foundation website.
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