Why does sleep deprivation provoke seizures?
We don’t know why sleep deprivation provokes seizures. The sleep-wake cycle is associated with prominent changes in brain electrical activity and hormonal activity, so seizures and the sleep-wake cycle are often clearly related. Some people with epilepsy have all of their seizures while sleeping and others have most of their seizures just as they are falling asleep or just after waking up. Of course, this effect doesn’t apply to everyone; many people’s seizures are randomly spread throughout the day and night.
