Sleeping on Tummy Linked to Sudden Death for Epilepsy Patients

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sleeping with belly-down position may boost risk for sudden death especially for people with epilepsy, according to a new research.

“Sudden, unexpected death in epilepsy occurs when an otherwise healthy person dies and the autopsy shows no clear structural or toxicological cause of death," said Dr. Daniel Friedman, assistant professor of neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, as quoted by WEBMD.

Although this is a rare occurence and the study does not explain about the cause-and-efffect relationship between sleeping position and sudden death, research leader Dr. James Tao said people with epilepsy should not sleep in a prone (chest down) position.

"We found that prone sleeping is a significant risk for sudden, unexpected death in epilepsy, particularly in younger patients under age 40," said Tao.

Tao said the finding draws parallels to the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). SIDS occurs because babies are unable to wake up if their breathing is disrupted. In adults with epilepsy, Tao said, people on their stomachs may have an airway obstruction and be unable to rouse themselves.

The study result shows that 86 percent of those younger than 40 and 60 percent of those over 40 were on their stomachs when found dead.

RIZAL ADITYA | WEBMD