Neurológia pre prax 4/2010

Sleep and epilepsy

The mutual interaction of epilepsies, epileptic seizures and sleep is multiple. There are seizure types and units of epilepsy classification closely related to sleep and biological rhythms. A number of patients with epilepsy predominantly have seizures in their sleep. Specific interictal epileptic activity and nocturnal seizures alter sleep architecture; frequently, fragmentation of nocturnal sleep occurs. Many sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnoea, provoke and aggravate epileptic seizures. The effect of the antiepileptic medication used is also of significance.

Keywords: epilepsy, sleep, nocturnal seizures.