Seizure and sleep apnea are related since patients with obstructive sleep apnea shake violently as a reaction to being suffocated. After the patient's tongue falls back into the throat and the patient can't breath, the body reacts by becoming alarmed. Most people would be alarmed if someone else began choking them and most human bodies do the same thing. Most OSA patients stop breathing a number of times during the night and their bodies respond by shaking about much the same as an epileptic seizure.

          However, seizure and sleep apnea are not intimately related since the seizures are not the same as the type of seizures from epilepsy. Their causes are much different and have different sources. In OSA, the lungs try harder to breath and the heart beats more rapidly to get oxygen to all parts of the body. However, there's no oxygen getting into the lungs and to the body so the heart beats faster until it can't take it anymore. You then have a heart attack.

          There is a relationship between seizure and sleep apnea in patients who have both epilepsy. A large percentage of epilepsy patients have obstructive sleep apnea. The sudden decreases in oxygen and increases in carbon dioxide can aggravate the brain and trigger grand mal episodes during the night. The excessive tiredness and sleep deprivation during the day which are associated with obstructive sleep apnea also increases the number of epileptic seizures that a epilepsy patient has.

          The dentists at the Atlanta Dental Group PC are dedicated to their patients' good health and well being. You are welcome to join our family of patients. Dr. Padolsky, the senior dentist of our group, treats this disorder and would be happy to help you. If you would like to consult with our sleep apnea dentist about seizure and sleep apnea, please call and make an appointment at 404-874-7428.