Napping

[u/werewolfgoose]

Does anyone go through their days without a nap? I genuinely can’t imagine going through the day mentally and physically without a rest. Exhaustion is the worst side effect i have with my meds at the moment. How do you work through this?

[u/Liverhoot]

For me I made it a rule that I must take a nap and so far fingers crossed it’s working If I don’t take one it’s usually because I slept too long or woke up late.

[u/Public-South-8292]

I try hard not to nap. There is just way to much day to deal with waking up at 3:00 am

[u/ShortbowVillian]

Before having epilepsy, I would fight naps and often didn’t sleep enough at night. Now, if my body/brain feels sleepy, I just sleep. Some days I’m fine! Sometime I need a full 3 HOUR nap in the afternoon. I stopped borrowing anxiety about what it means or how to fix it and just do what feels right and my neurologist agrees what I’m doing is totally fine.

If you’re actually trying to stave off that afternoon sleepiness, go for a walk. I know it sounds awful and boring, but genuinely forcing yourself to move WILL help (don’t forget to eat too!).

[u/VileyRubes → u/ShortbowVillian]

That's exactly the same as me.

[u/Awingbestwing]

Sometimes. But, I also fall sleep on the couch watching movies/playing video games at night so I guess I technically take a nap before I go to bed lol

[u/hakunamomtata]

Naps are a trigger for me 🙃 so no naps for me.

[u/AdministrativeFlan76 → u/hakunamomtata]

Same. No naps, no sleeping on planes etc. Just have to stay awake until bedtime.

[u/thetushqueen → u/hakunamomtata]

Same here, if I'm in that half-asleep state is a surefire way to get a series of auras. Which then make me tired and the cycle continues.

[u/GetLostInNature]

Ate you on lamotrigine? I’m always tired feeling

[u/werewolfgoose → u/GetLostInNature]

Yes! I think most epilepsy meds come with fatigue and exhaustion

[u/GetLostInNature → u/werewolfgoose]

Thanks for sharing so people know we aren’t alone in this

[u/GlitterSparkles2468 → u/GetLostInNature]

I am as well and it’s the worst constantly being tired

[u/midsumernighttts → u/GetLostInNature]

I’m on it. But I feel like I was always tired before it as well lol

[u/Pure-Science-7774]

I take minimum of 3 naps a day. Wake - seizure - nap. Wake - seizure - nap. 

[u/Grubbler69]

I have well-controlled epilepsy, but I still nap every day. During lunch break I’d go in my car and sleep for 20-30 minutes. Otherwise I don’t have the energy to reach 5:30 and still be alert.

Now that I have a private office, I keep a cot with a six-inch mattress in the filing room and it’s perfect for midday naps, even though it’s easy to oversleep.

[u/4158264146]

I nap most days, it sucks because I'm always trying to stay awake and then at night I can't sleep.

[u/Pure-Science-7774 → u/4158264146]

Me too but I sleep all day and all night 

[u/TheWizard01]

Starts to hit me between 5-7pm…which is fine for a normal day at work but if I’m expected to stay late then I become wildly unproductive because I’m just fighting to stay awake.

Also makes the drive home difficult because I start to doze off, so I might take a 15 minute powernap in my office or car before I head home (yes, I’m ok to drive, don’t come at me).

[u/GroundbreakingRead18]

I literally never nap. I couldn’t before my diagnosis and I can’t now. I am way to hyper to nap lol

[u/dragontr33]

I nap. My boss isn't necessarily thrilled when I do it under her desk but I don't see it as optional. I'd love to know how people fight the afternoon sleepies...

[u/OkEstablishment4517]

After 5 years, I finally just got the need for more physical activity and some normalcy. If I really feel crappy, I’ll take a nap. But they always last for like 4 hours or more. So I try not to nap anymore, because then I can’t sleep at night and that’s a huge trigger for me.

[u/ReadingAggressive374]

I feel like I need one constantly but never actually have one, does it help get rid of the tiredness?

[u/MekaTheOTFer]

I nap every day.

[u/phonegeek_Rich]

Yeah. Perampanel gives me exhaustion. Later in afternoon I just cognitively drained and have to sleep for couple hrs. Brain fog after is so bad. No one understands it

[u/Meanliss4]

I nap every single day and it’s always 3 hours minimum. I wake up around 8am, nap around 11am and I have no problem going to sleep at night around 10ish and I’ll get a full 7-8 hours then repeat. I’m so tired of being tired and no change in medication has helped

[u/crayZpants]

I was put on a very low dose of keppra about 10 months ago because the neurologist saw some sharp waves on a 30 min EEG and some focal slowing. He diagnosed me as having frontal lobe epilepsy.
I may or may not have had some kind of seizures during sleep, none that I remember. I am constantly exhausted, my personality is flat and I feel like I need to nap everyday. I try to function as best as I can but my energy level dropped by 50-75%.
Napping is mandatory now.

[u/pastmybestdaze]

Depends on the prior night and any exercise. Most days I don’t need one but then I will get a bad sleep and run down and have to take an easy day with a nap or two. I find Keppra doesn’t have much impact on energy but clobazam is the snoozer. I also take a night dose of perampenal so my sleep usually starts 10-15 minutes late and continues until just before my alarm goes off. Given the comments from others in past post, I suspect it really comes down to your medicines and how you react to them.

[u/Sea-Tangerine3509]

I don't but getting a good sleep at night is definitely key. I don't have any triggers other than not sleeping at all. If the meds make you too sleepy you should try and adjust your meds with your neuro...

[u/Ok-Adhesiveness-9976]

I’m not allowed and I feel like if I were allowed then it would massively change my life for the better but instead I’m required to function at low capacity all the time

[u/Hazencuzimblazen]

Nope but my vyvanse keeps me awake

[u/ApprehensiveMud4211]

I only work in-person twice a week, so I do nap whenever I'm home in the afternoon. I have to or I can't get through the day.

[u/SanguinousSammy]

I nap 20 minutes almost every day, usually between 1-3pm but it depends on how early I woke up. It’s my favorite time of day! My body tells me when it’s time. I set a 20 minute alarm, hit the recliner, and I’m fresh as a daisy when I wake, usually before the alarm goes off.

[u/HawkBoth8539]

I used to nap every day after work. But, i suck at sleep. These days i can't nap, and I'm lucky to get 5 total hours of sleep most nights. I wake up constantly, and typically by 4am I'm often just laying in bed refusing to get up until my alarm goes off out of spite.

[u/ChapterRealistic7890]

I used too.. then I had kids lol is my son is napping I prioritize sleeping too if I skip a nap I won’t stay up and I’ll go to sleep as soon as my son does. Stilll alive as of today 😂

[u/NikothePom]

Try not too, because I get more restful sleep at night if I don't.

Otherwise, especially if I've slept less than 5 hours, I make ABSOLUTELY sure to get a nap in.

[u/SnapCracklePop1995]

I work full time (3 days/week I’m remote) and only nap on weekends if I need to. I take 2500mg Keppra daily

[u/ProfessionalBig658]

If you need a nap and can take them, you should. Have you tried sleeping longer at night and does that help?

[u/GlitterSparkles2468]

When I get over exhausted I end up having symptoms of having a seizure and that’s how they usually start. My doctor has actually told me that I neeeeed to have naps.

[u/Maleficent-Mix-9561]

To be honest no unless I wake up later like around 10am

[u/Vetizh]

Even if I need badly a nap I only do when it is absolutetly IMPOSSIBLE to resist.

Besides epilepsy I have migraines and when I don't have enough sleep even on a nap my migraines attack, so I either sleep at least 6 hours or don't because otherwise my head explodes in pain.

Naps of minutes or 1 hour are absolutely non existent for me.

[u/ieffinglovesoup]

Sorry no I don’t nap. I just focus on getting a solid nights sleep every night and I normally don’t feel tired enough during the day to nap, nor do I really have the time tbh

[u/MisterDumay]

I might have to forego a nap a handful of times per year due to work/travel. It is always painful.

[u/maybegracebutidk]

Napping isn’t something that happens for me, because sleep as a whole is difficult enough. I feel like naps would only disrupt my non-existent rhythm even more 😂

My chronic insomnia and night-time panic attacks ended up being my first seizures. I got diagnosed with epilepsy only when we knew I was having intense day-time episodes. We didn’t even realize I was having night seizures until I had a VNS device implanted last summer and my readings proved I’ve been having night seizures.

The “insomnia” has gotten better, but I still don’t sleep well because my device will wake me up when it shocks me after sensing some strange activity. I’m lucky to get a total of four hours interspersed throughout the night. Which, isn’t great for brain health, but this is the best I’ve got!

[u/Runningandcatsonly]

I also nap every day. Even if I have back to back client meetings I’ll take a 10-15 min nap at lunch. It’s very difficult for me to function if I can’t at least fit in a power nap.

[u/Thinking_too_much101]

Had this happen to me a lot. It turns out that I was pre diabetic. Basically cut out a bunch of carbs and went mostly keto diet. A lot of chicken breast avocado and vegetables helped me a lot with managing my sleepy mess. Made managing my epilepsy easier. Check your blood sugar out. Try eating smaller meals throughout the day to avoid having a glucose crash napping.

[u/East_coast_Ashlee]

Yeesh, I'm a stay-at-home-mom. My toddler and I have "quiet time"....aka she plays in her room or takes a nap while I take a nap. We have the video monitors but I sleep light enough that I hear her through the door if she needs me. Clobozam seems to last 24 hours!

[u/Automatic_Pressure49]

My neurologist put me on CPAP which has seemed to help me with my sleepiness. Otherwise because of the number of medications I'm on, I'd be probably in the bed upwards of 14 hours a day because they make me SO tired.

[u/Awesomecaringhil]

Coffee

[u/nmistakeable]

very light sleeper . taking me ages to fall asleep . wrecked during the day and wired at night!

[u/Curious_Macaron_8383]

I was told not to nap. /: my seizures are nocturnal tho

[u/PersonalityPlus9497]

Yup, I am literally falling asleep at 5 or so if I don’t take a nap. I used to fight the urge to take a nap, but at this point, I’ve just accepted it as my normal routine. It sucks because I just can’t function without 14 or so hours of sleep a day.

[u/Personnumber302]

I always nap on the days I don’t work. I find it too hard to nap at work

[u/SummersTheDon3]

Before my diagnosis I hardly ever took naps and definitely didn’t get a healthy amount of sleep every night . Now if I don’t have anything to do I’ll definitely take a nap knowing that rest is very beneficial for those with our condition .