I think I had a sleep seizure, how can I tell?

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I've never had a seizure before (that I know of). But I was having kind of a crazy dream last night. I dreamed I was transforming into a dog, and my whole body felt like it was disappearing. It felt like when your leg falls asleep and it tingles a lot, but it's really painful, but my whole body. And I was fighting it because I didn't want to transform into a dog. Also in the dream there was a really intense smell of fresh air. It was a good smell, but strong like lightning. And I had goosebumps all over my body, and was breathing deeply and rapidly, and I woke up suddenly. I couldn't tell if I was shaking or jerking for real or just in the dream. I also had the sense I might have been vocalizing, but I can't tell. But my toddler was sleeping next to me and he woke up right then also, so I must have done something to wake him up. And actually my first thought upon waking up was, "Did I just have a seizure?"

Then throughout the morning I felt kind of funny. I was shaky and just felt a little 'off'. Like sick but not sick. But that might be just because of mentally freaking myself out.

I feel completely silly for consulting a doctor over a bad dream, so I don't know if I should.

I don't know if you had a seizure or not, but I think asking your doctor about it, or a doctor who specializes in seizure disorders would be beneficial.

But how can you tell the difference between a sleep seizure and a weird dream?

I don't know, but I think the weak weird feeling that you had after the dream the next day is worth looking into with your doctor. I would rather check and be wrong, then not check and something bad happen. You never know b/c what might seem strange or uncomfortable to us, might be completely the norm for the doctor, and if you tell him about the experience it may sound like a seizure to him and he's used to hearing description like that...or he may not have heard of it, and you can ask to be referred to dr that specializes in sleep or seizure disorders just to be on the safe side. They can put you in a room to sleep over night, and monitor you and tell you if you have any sleep disorders or seizures in your sleep.

I don't know either. The stuff I've read from people who have seizures in their sleep, they know they had them because they feel the same unpleasant seizure after-effects they get after having seizures while awake.

The puzzling thing is, why didn't you want to transform into a dog?

My younger sister has seizures. The most important feature of a seizure is a "flashing" sensation, like electric bolts in your head.

From your description, it sounds more like a night terror.

That's interesting, really really interesting. I have an electric sensation in my head from time to time, for a few seconds, with my head shaking and I feel like I'm "not there". Does that sound like a seizure? I thought one had to lose consciousness.

I had seizures when I was little and at my most "autistic", which medication helped. I'm again at my most "autistic" [other than my increased verbal ability].

I didn't like the unpleasant feeling of my body dissolving.

It was like electric bolts through my whole body. Like in my first post, it was the feeling when a part of your body falls asleep and it tingles, but the bad painful tingling like needles. And it hurts to even try to move.

I don't know about night terrors, but it wasn't really a terrible dream. I just objected to transforming into a dog. But it wasn't scary like a nightmare. Also that intense smell. I was like, "Wow, I didn't know air could smell this good!" It was like completely fresh air, full of electrical charge. Like if I could imagine the smell of getting struck by lightening, that would be it.

That sounds like a simple partial seizure.

http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/seizure_simplepartial

But these "flashing" sensations are quite common when one is about to drift off to sleep, aren't they?

I think I had something like a fit or seizure once, but I believe that was related to heat/dehydration. I was feeling weak and horrid and then I was in a different position, and the tv program had changed, and for a few years after I had a floating black speck in my vision (right eye only). The speck is gone now; first I started to only see it when I was exhausted from not sleeping, and now I do not see it even then....which is good as it was annoying.

But I often get flashing "bolt" sensations in my head when lying down, especially when drifting off to sleep ever since I was a child (sometimes accompanied by a follow-through bolt that I feel in my body), and I thought I heard that this is quite a common thing that occurs during normal health (ie no seizure or anything serious, just a mild "glitch" or "hiccup").

Surely seizures, although they could occur during or when drifting off to sleep would not be so selective (only occurring mostly when lying down); the flashing bolts I experience are just normal phenomena (like sleep paralysis and such)?

From information I've gathered, I've decided that it was likely not seizure activity, but some kind of difficulty from waking up from REM sleep too suddenly.

I started having grand mal seizures a few months ago and they only happen during sleep. I have never remembered dreaming about anything, it's almost like I had been put under for surgery, that sort of feeling. The first one my husband was there for and tried to wake me out of it which was a bad idea because I couldn't remember even who I was or what year or month it was. I never had any pain, or strange sensations with any of the seizures, but the last three I was alone as my husband was at work, and I just woke up and felt 'off' and I had scratched big chunks of skin off my arm and had bitten through my tounge. (the last three were all in the same night, the last one I had I was already in the ER) so with each seizure I bit through my tounge again. I am sure everyone is different, so I can't really say it was or was not a seizure for you, I would be suspicious of the weak/shakey feeling after you woke up because I did feel that way, but I'm not sure about the dream. I guess losing your memory would depend on what kind of seizure you had and what part of your brain in occured in. Good luck in finding out, hopefully it was nothing

I don't know. Normally I'd say that the weird feelings might be just a coincidence, but the fact that your toddler woke up at the same time, and the fact that you instantly woke up thinking you had a seizure makes me think it's probably more than a coincidence. It may not be a seizure, but I'd suggest telling a doctor about it.

Yep, again I'd say go to the doctor to be on the safe side. If you're wrong, you're only wrong. If you are having seizures and don't go, far worse could happen.

The last thing sound a bit like when your body are falling aspleep, but your mind is not.
It feels kind of like you describe it, maybe also a bit like falling.

It occurs when you are laying totally still, not moving your body (head may sometimes be okay).