Insomnia and Epilepsy: A Questionnaire-Based Study

Abstract

Study Objectives: Although disturbed sleep has been frequently reported in patients with seizures, little is known about insomnia and epilepsy. The aims of this study were (1) to analyze the prevalence and degree of insomnia in patients with epilepsy, (2) to examine the clinical features and correlates of insomnia in these patients, and (3) to evaluate the impact of poor sleep on their quality of life. Methods: One hundred-fi fty-two patients with epilepsy (mean age 46 years) completed the following questionnaires: Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31. Patients with other known sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea, were excluded from the study. Regression analysis was conducted for adjusting for age, years since epilepsy onset, number of antiepileptic drugs, comorbidities, and depression scores.Results: More than half of the participants (55%) suffered from insomnia and more than 70% were "poor sleepers." Insomnia and poor sleep quality were signifi cantly correlated with the number of antiepileptic medications and scores of depressive symptoms. After controlling for covariates, insomnia and poor sleep quality were signifi cant predictors of lower quality of life. Conclusion: These results suggest that insomnia and poor sleep are common in patients with epilepsy and may adversely impact quality of life. Further studies should examine whether improvements in sleep can improve seizure control and quality of life of these patients.

Severity of self-reported insomnia in adults with epilepsy is related to comorbid medical disorders and depressive symptoms

“…Detrimental and beneficial effects on sleep and wakefulness have been reported; however, prospective, randomized trials investigating these effects are lacking. Polytherapy with AEDs was associated with an increased ISI score in the present study, and this result is comparable with findings from another recent study [30]. Finally, with the exception of evaluating for OSA, we did not analyze whether other primary sleep disorders may have contributed to the insomnia complaint.…”

“…Vendrame et al found a prevalence of moderate or severe insomnia in 55% of 152 adults with less refractory epilepsy referred to their sleep center [30]. They used the same criteria for moderate or severe insomnia (ISI ≥ 15) but did not exclude patients with preexisting insomnia as we did.…”

Subjective sleep disturbance in epilepsy patients at an outpatient clinic: A questionnaire-based study on prevalence

“…In support of our findings, Parrino et al (2000) reported that nocturnal seizures and interictal activities can lead to arousals and insomnia. More recently, a significant correlation between insomnia and the number of AEDs or scores of depressive symptoms was reported in epilepsy patients (Vendrame et al, 2013). In contrast, there was no correlation between the presence of insomnia and type/numbers of AEDs or depression in our patients.…”

Interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) mediates epilepsy-induced sleep disruption

“…Patients with different types of epilepsy may experience either daytime sleepiness or nighttime sleep disturbance [3–6]. The prevalence of sleep disorders, such as excessive daytime sleepiness [7, 8], insomnia [9, 10] and obstructive sleep apnea [8, 10] is higher among patients with epilepsy.…”