Daytime behavior and sleep disturbance in childhood epilepsy

Abstract The purpose of this research is to further explore the relationship between sleep disturbance and daytime behavior in children with epilepsy. Parent-rating questionnaires and child symptom self-report measures were employed to evaluate daytime behavior in 30 children with epilepsy and sleep-disordered symptoms. Overnight polysomnography was used to assess for nocturnal sleep problems such as obstructive sleep apnea, nocturnal seizures, periodic leg movements, and sleep fragmentation. We hypothesized that children with epilepsy would exhibit both clinically significant behavioral and sleep problems. Results indicate that 80% of children with epilepsy exhibited sleep disruption because of either clinically significant obstructive apnea syndrome, disturbance of sleep architecture, or sleep fragmentation. These findings further suggest that daytime behavior problems encountered in children with epilepsy may be attributed to specific disruptions in sleep regulation.