There’s a strong link between sleep and epilepsy. While The Insomnia and Sleep Institute of Arizona does not treat epilepsy directly, sleep issues often coexist with neurological conditions.
Sleep disruption can affect seizure control, making it important for people with epilepsy to prioritize good sleep hygiene. We focus on comprehensive sleep care, including addressing sleep disorders that can compound neurological challenges.
We work with patients of all ages, starting as young as two. Many sleep disorders present during childhood, and early intervention can make a difference. Our goal is to help every patient achieve restful, restorative sleep.
The Children’s Hospital Los Angeles just began piloting a new treatment that is a hybrid of a complete 16-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) and overnight polysomnogram (PSG), which is a collaboration between the Division of Neurology and the Division of Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine.
This combined study is only being performed on certain patients in select clinical scenarios. The goal is to make the care more streamlined while minimizing the call for two distinct studies/hospitalizations.
Typically, two studies are needed to diagnose epilepsy and sleep-disordered breathing issues, but this approach makes it faster and easier for both patients and their medical teams.
According to one of the providers, “Children with epilepsy frequently also have sleep-disordered breathing, such as obstructive sleep apnea, which can increase their risk of seizures.”
Of course, having seizures—or worrying about having seizures—can also lead to sleep disorders and this can become a vicious cycle. Epileptic seizures can occur at any time of day or night, but are often common when falling asleep and waking up.
Two-in-One Testing
What makes this pilot so unique is that it seamlessly puts together two very distinct reports and depends on two different specialists to interpret them. A pediatric epileptologist looks at the EEG while a sleep medicine doctor interprets the PSG. This is critical, with one of the providers explaining,
It’s important that both specialists interpret their respective tests. For example, while sleep medicine physicians can recognize clear epileptic discharge patterns on an EEG, for many patients the findings are more subtle and require a robust interpretation from an epileptologist.
Understanding the link between sleep and epilepsy is a critical component in managing it. Epilepsy has no cure, but it can be managed, and managing sleep is an important part of that process.
Pilot Program Details
Only children are part of the pilot program at the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. Each are admitted for 24 – 72 hours, and the sleep study occurs on the first night. This unit holds the highest level of certification, level 4, from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.
At the moment, admission to the pilot program is on a case-by-case basis, requiring an initial examination by the patient’s current pulmonologist, epileptologist, or sleep medicine doctor at the Hospital. One provider in the program stresses,
Not all children with epilepsy need a sleep study. Just having a nocturnal behavior, like sleep walking, is not enough to warrant a polysomnogram. Often, the most urgent matter is ruling out whether the behavior is a seizure, and that can be done with an EEG alone.
The Difficulty of Bidirectional Relationships
Unfortunately, one facet of epilepsy and sleep disorders that is highlighted in this report is the idea that the relationship between epilepsy and sleep is not well understood. “There’s a lot we still need to learn about the relationship between sleep and epilepsy,” says one of the study’s providers.
“Long-term, these combined studies could potentially help inform research efforts to understand more about certain types of seizures and why they tend to occur during certain stages of sleep,” says one of the study’s researchers.
Alternatively, if you’re facing challenges with sleep and related conditions, finding the right care matters. At The Insomnia and Sleep Institute, we focus solely on comprehensive sleep care designed to improve your quality of rest and overall health.
Reach out today. Call us during business hours. Fill out our online contact form for a quick and easy response. Your journey to better sleep can start now.
