The term epilepsy refers to disorders of the brain that causes irregular electrical activity in your nervous system known as seizures. Approximately 0.5 percent of people in the world suffer from some form of epilepsy, according to the MIT Braintrust Center for Neurological Disorder Information. Along with seizures, epileptics often experience sleep deprivation. Melatonin may help to decrease sleep disturbances, but it may also increase your risk of seizures. Consult your doctor before using melatonin with epilepsy.
Epilepsy and Sleep
If you have epilepsy, inadequate sleep contributes to drowsiness during the day, memory problems and intractable seizures. The longer you go without adequate sleep, the greater your chances of worse or intractable seizures. Causes of sleep disturbances with epilepsy vary greatly, but they include poor quality of sleep, lack of a regular sleep schedule, inadequate bedtime routine, uncomfortable sleep conditions, disturbances in your circadian rhythm and sleep disorders, such as sleepwalking or nighttime awakenings.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced by your body to help control your body's circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle. Laboratories also make melatonin in the form of pills or supplements that you allow to dissolve in your cheek or under your tongue. Melatonin uses include treating insomnia, inducing sleep and improving the quality of sleep in children with developmental disorders, people working the night shift and people discontinuing stimulant drugs.
Melatonin and Epilepsy
Epilepsy itself, or the anti-epileptic drugs used to control epilepsy, may result in decreased melatonin levels, according to the results of a study published in the September 2010 issue of "Medical Science Monitor," an international medical journal focusing on clinical and experimental research. Unfortunately, melatonin increases the number of seizures experienced by some people with seizure disorders. Consult your doctor prior to self-medicating with melatonin to improve your sleep, especially if you suffer from epilepsy, plan to give melatonin to a child or take other sedative medications.
Considerations
Prior to using melatonin to improve your sleep with epilepsy, improve your sleep hygiene habits to promote your body's natural ability to initiate a healthy sleep cycle. Start optimizing your sleep by going to bed and getting up at the same time each day. Keep your bedroom both dark and quiet. Use bedding that keeps you comfortable and warm, but not hot. Your chances of falling asleep and staying asleep longer increase when you refrain from doing anything but sleeping and sexual activity in your bed. Avoiding strenuous activities, alcohol, caffeine and nicotine after dinner also helps to improve your quality and quantity of sleep.
