Sleep-related epilepsy.

Sleep is important for the general health of all, but is particularly essential for individuals with epilepsy. In these patients, a complex relationship exists between seizures and sleep, and both must be considered for optimal care. In this review, recent advances in the field of epilepsy and sleep are considered. These include sleep disorders with a specific relationship to epilepsy, the influences of sleep and sleep deprivation on interictal epileptiform discharges, detrimental effects of seizures on sleep, and the effects (good and bad) of epilepsy treatments on sleep.