Effects of anti‐seizure therapies on sleep in patients with epilepsy: A literature review

Abstract

Sleep disorder is common in epilepsy. With a recent rapid development in sleep medicine, it has been increasingly recognized that anti‐seizure therapies, either anti‐seizure medications (ASMs) or non‐pharmaceutical approaches, can take direct or indirect influence on sleep in patients with epilepsy. Here, we systematically review the effect of anti‐seizure treatments on sleep. ASMs targeting at different sites exerted various effects on both sleep structure and sleep quality. Non‐pharmaceutical treatments including resective surgery, ketogenic diet, and transcranial magnetic stimulation appear to have a positive effect on sleep, while vagus nerve stimulation, deep brain stimulation, and brain‐responsive neurostimulation are likely to interrupt sleep and exacerbate sleep‐disordered breathing. The potential mechanisms underlying how non‐pharmacological approaches affect sleep are also discussed. The limitation of most studies is that they were largely based on small cohorts by short‐term observations. Further well‐designed and large‐scale investigations in this field are warranted. Understanding the effect of anti‐seizure therapies on sleep can guide clinicians to optimize epilepsy treatment in the future.

Editorial

“…The most common comorbidities of epilepsy reported are sleep disorders, headache, anxiety, and depression 4 . In the review “Effects of Anti‐seizure Therapies on Sleep in Patients with Epilepsy: a literature review,” Ye et al discussed the potential mechanisms underlying how anti‐seizure medications and non‐pharmacological approaches affect sleep 14 . Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) has drawn increasing attention in epilepsy research.…”