The Relationship Between Epilepsy Control and the Duration of Nighttime Sleep and Afternoon Siesta.

Context: The association between epilepsy control and the duration of sleep among people with epilepsy (PWE) is not well studied in Middle Eastern countries such as Oman.

Aims: To describe the sleep habits of PWE in Oman and explore the association of their sleep habits at night and afternoon siesta with the level of seizure control achieved and antiseizure medications (ASMs) consumed.

Methods: The subjects of this cross-sectional study were adult epilepsy patients attending a neurology clinic. Their sleep parameters were measured for one week using actigraphy. Home sleep apnea testing for one night was conducted to rule out obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Results: A total of 129 PWE completed the study. Their mean age was 29.8 ± 9.2  years, and their mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.1 kg/m. There was no significant difference between the people with controlled and uncontrolled epilepsy as regards the duration of night sleep or afternoon siesta (p = 0.24 and 0.37, respectively). There was also no significant correlation between their nighttime sleep duration, afternoon siesta, and the number of ASMs they consumed (p = 0.402 and 0.717, respectively).

Conclusion: The study revealed that the sleep habits of PWE with uncontrolled epilepsy who consumed more ASMs were not significantly different from those with controlled epilepsy who consumed fewer ASMs.