Sleep and epilepsy: unfortunate bedfellows

Abstract

The relationship between sleep and seizure disorders is a particularly vicious cycle. Nocturnal seizures can interrupt sleep while a number of factors, including antiepileptics and sleep disorders that cause sleep fragmentation, can worsen seizures. Understanding and managing seizures and related sleep disturbance is therefore an important and treatable intervention target that could potentially improve children’s sleep, but also their learning, mood, behaviour, seizures and parental quality of life.