Sleep and Epilepsy: S8-Ep7

Epileptic seizures, especially in certain epileptic syndromes, are more common during sleep. Conversely, seizures can disturb sleep, affecting daytime alertness. Nocturnal seizures may also mimic the parasomnias that are more familiar to sleep medicine practitioners. This podcast discusses practical aspects of these relationships. 00:00 Introduction 00:01:33 Brain electrical activity during sleep (EEG overview) 00:05:09 Seizure likelihood across sleep stages 00:07:07 Sleep-related epilepsies overview 00:08:14 Do seizures appear on surface EEG? 00:09:09 Common childhood epilepsies during sleep 00:13:02 Epileptic encephalopathies and EEG patterns 00:14:55 General epilepsy risk during non-REM sleep 00:15:55 Impact of sleep disorders on seizures 00:18:01 How seizures affect sleep quality 00:21:04 Anti-epileptic medications and sleep effects 00:23:42 Evaluating nocturnal spells on polysomnogram 00:25:07 Final takeaways