Specific treatment options for the aforementioned disorders are beyond the scope of this article.Īn Italian neurologist, C.A. In most cases rhythmic movements, especially when complex and long in duration, are related to different levels of arousal from sleep with recurrence of ancestral motor sequences promoted by central pattern generators in the brainstem, generally activated by the arousal process.Ī differential diagnosis between physiological events and pathological movement disorders, and between the latter and sleep-related epilepsy is critical to provide optimal treatment and an accurate prognosis. They may also characterize some frontal or temporal nocturnal seizures of sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy, or be considered as part of NREM parasomnias, especially sleepwalking, sexsomnia or sleep-related eating disorder, or REM-related behaviors such as REM behavior disorder or complex movements associated with pediatric narcolepsy type I. There is great demand among parents for a reliable seizure detection system that allows for more restful nights.Rhythmic movements during sleep may occur in the context of physiological sleep-related motor activity or be part of sleep-related movement disorders such as bruxism, periodic limb movement disorder, restless legs syndrome, and sleep-related rhythmic movement disorder. However, many of these systems fail to detect seizures or often give false alarms. There are various seizure monitoring systems. A detection and alarm device detects a seizure and transmits an alarm, ensuring that seizures are noticed, unsafe situations are avoided, and adequate aid can be provided quickly. Many parents of children with epilepsy are afraid to leave their child alone at night so opt to sleep in their child’s bedroom.Īn early warning system can help in the event of nocturnal seizures. So it is important to prevent or limit the seizures as much as possible. Generally speaking: the fewer the seizures, the lower the risk. We know that the risk of a SUDEP is smaller if someone else is in the same room during or immediately following the seizure. SUDEP affects around 1 in 1,000 people with epilepsy each year and is less common in children than in adults. However, SUDEP is also linked to tonic seizures, hypermotor seizures, and clusters of myoclonic seizures. It happens most commonly in people who have severe nocturnal seizures, such as tonic-clonic seizures. As the name suggests, the exact causes of SUDEP are not known.

This can lead to unsafe or high-risk situations.Ī SUDEP is a Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. Nocturnal epileptic seizures are difficult to recognise in children. Lack of sleep, stress, and certain sounds can trigger nocturnal seizures in some children.

Most nocturnal seizures are brief and mainly occur at the beginning of the night or just before waking. Children may also have convulsions during a nocturnal seizure. This will often include movements of the shoulders, pelvis, arms or legs. If children have nocturnal (night-time) seizures, they will often make strange movements or adopt a strange position. An epileptic seizure usually stops by itself after a while but in some cases, an intervention of some kind may be needed to stop the seizure. The best-known type of seizure is when a person loses consciousness and their whole body makes jerking movements (convulsions). Other symptoms include twitching of the corners of the mouth or brief difficulty speaking, as with Benign rolandic epilepsy. Make sure your child cannot hurt themselves during a seizure.Įpileptic seizures can be relatively unnoticeable, such as absence seizures, when they will briefly be totally unresponsive. Last but by no means least, ensure they are safe. In the meantime, stay with your child and reassure them by talking calmly.

First of all, you should wait until the seizure has passed. If your child has had a seizure it is important that you follow a doctor’s instructions. There are various types of epilepsy with different types of seizures. Epilepsy can only be diagnosed by a specialist. These are not directly related to epilepsy. A low blood sugar level, headache, fever or an acute illness can also cause seizures. A single seizure need not mean that your child has epilepsy. Epilepsy can be difficult to diagnose in children. An epileptic seizure is caused by a temporary, often abrupt interruption of electrical signals between brain cells.

Nocturnal epilepsy temporal lobe