‚Sleep hygiene‘ should be integrated into epilepsy diagnosis and management

 

Children with epilepsy sleep poorly compared to healthy children, and are more likely to experience disruptions such as night terrors, sleep walking or sleep disordered breathing, according to a new study.

A team at the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Human Brain Health analysed 19 published studies on sleep and epilepsy in children and adolescents to try to better understand and articulate the links between them.

Their findings, published in Sleep Medicine Reviews, highlight the significantly poorer sleep experienced by children and adolescents with epilepsy, and present a strong argument for screening children for sleep problems as an integral part of diagnosis and management of the condition.

Lead author Alice Winsor explains: „We know that sleep and epilepsy have a bidirectional relationship: epilepsy has an impact on sleep, because of seizures waking children up in the night, for example. At the same time, disrupted sleep can increase the likelihood of seizures. Despite the available research, however, sleep is not routinely evaluated by clinicians during the diagnosis and care of this condition.

„In typically developing children, it’s well known that the effects of inadequate sleep have a wide impact on behaviour and mental health and this affects not just them, but the wider family as well. In children with epilepsy these effects are more complicated, but also more likely to be overlooked, because of the clinical focus on the epilepsy. Our research draws together the available evidence to make a compelling case for sleep assessments to be included in epilepsy management.“

In their detailed literature analysis, the researchers found children with epilepsy slept, on average, 34 minutes less per night than those without epilepsy and had significantly more episodes of night waking or parasomnias – including night terrors and sleep walking. They also had poorer sleep quality and a higher percentage of light sleep than healthy children. These were evident in the literature via both objective measurements such as wearing a sleep tracking watch, and subjective evidence supplied via patient and carer questionnaires.

„Epilepsy is a chronic and unpredictable disease and the association with sleep disruption only further negatively impacts quality of life for the child and the family,“ Alice adds. „Addressing sleep problems and sleep hygiene at an early stage in treatment could reduce the impact of the disease, and also reduce the likelihood of a sleep problem progressing to a sleep disorder, with serious and long term health implications.“

The researchers also found that children with drug-resistant epilepsy appeared most vulnerable to sleep disturbances, although more research is necessary into whether this is caused by medication or by recurrent seizures.

 

The research was funded by the Waterloo Foundation.

 

Notes to editor

  • The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.

 

 


University of Birmingham, 10.02.2021 (tB).

Schlagwörter: , ,

MEDICAL NEWS

IU School of Medicine researchers develop blood test for anxiety
COVID-19 pandemic increased rates and severity of depression, whether people…
COVID-19: Bacterial co-infection is a major risk factor for death,…
Regenstrief-led study shows enhanced spiritual care improves well-being of ICU…
Hidden bacteria presents a substantial risk of antimicrobial resistance in…

SCHMERZ PAINCARE

Hydromorphon Aristo® long ist das führende Präferenzpräparat bei Tumorschmerz
Sorgen und Versorgen – Schmerzmedizin konkret: „Sorge als identitätsstiftendes Element…
Problem Schmerzmittelkonsum
Post-Covid und Muskelschmerz
Kopfschmerz bei Übergebrauch von Schmerz- oder Migränemitteln

DIABETES

Wie das Dexom G7 abstrakte Zahlen mit Farben greifbar macht…
Diabetes mellitus: eine der großen Volkskrankheiten im Blickpunkt der Schmerzmedizin
Suliqua®: Einfacher hin zu einer guten glykämischen Kontrolle
Menschen mit Diabetes während der Corona-Pandemie unterversorgt? Studie zeigt auffällige…
Suliqua® zur Therapieoptimierung bei unzureichender BOT

ERNÄHRUNG

Positiver Effekt der grünen Mittelmeerdiät auf die Aorta
Natriumaufnahme und Herz-Kreislaufrisiko
Tierwohl-Fleisch aus Deutschland nur mäßig attraktiv in anderen Ländern
Diät: Gehirn verstärkt Signal an Hungersynapsen
Süßigkeiten verändern unser Gehirn

ONKOLOGIE

Strahlentherapie ist oft ebenso effizient wie die OP: Neues vom…
Zanubrutinib bei chronischer lymphatischer Leukämie: Zusatznutzen für bestimmte Betroffene
Eileiter-Entfernung als Vorbeugung gegen Eierstockkrebs akzeptiert
Antibiotika als Störfaktor bei CAR-T-Zell-Therapie
Bauchspeicheldrüsenkrebs: Spezielle Diät kann Erfolg der Chemotherapie beeinflussen

MULTIPLE SKLEROSE

Multiple Sklerose: Aktuelle Immunmodulatoren im Vergleich
Neuer Biomarker für Verlauf von Multipler Sklerose
Multiple Sklerose: Analysen aus Münster erhärten Verdacht gegen das Epstein-Barr-Virus
Aktuelle Daten zu Novartis Ofatumumab und Siponimod bestätigen Vorteil des…
Multiple Sklerose durch das Epstein-Barr-Virus – kommt die MS-Impfung?

PARKINSON

Meilenstein in der Parkinson-Forschung: Neuer Alpha-Synuclein-Test entdeckt die Nervenerkrankung vor…
Neue Erkenntnisse für die Parkinson-Therapie
Cochrane Review: Bewegung hilft, die Schwere von Bewegungssymptomen bei Parkinson…
Technische Innovationen für eine maßgeschneiderte Parkinson-Diagnostik und Therapie
Biomarker und Gene: neue Chancen und Herausforderungen für die Parkinson-Diagnose…