Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine · Published 2026-07-01 · DOI 10.4103/jnsm.jnsm_179_24
Talal A AlGhamdi, Randa Nooh, Fawziyyah Bamogaddam, Ahmad AlGhamdi, Munirah Fallatah, Yahya AlAsseri, Sami Alsaedi, Ayman Banjar, Abeer Asiri
Background: Epilepsy, a prevalent neurological disorder marked by recurrent, unprovoked seizures, often leads to significant health and economic complications for the affected person and family. There is a lot of evidence that underlines the higher risk of epilepsy patients to poor sleep quality than the general population. However, there is limited evidence on sleep quality among epilepsy patients and associated factors in Riyadh. This study aims to compare the sleep patterns and sleep quality among epilepsy patients to nonepileptic individuals. Considerable research demonstrates that individuals with epilepsy are at an elevated risk of experiencing poor sleep quality compared to the general population, considerable evidence indicates that individuals with epilepsy are at increased risk of poor sleep quality compared with the general population; however, local evidence on sleep quality and associated factors among adults with epilepsy in Riyadh remains limited. Methodology: This case–control study was conducted at King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, with a total of 434 patients: 171 epileptic patients recruited from the epilepsy clinic aged 18–50 years, and 263 nonepileptic controls from other clinics within the same hospital. Both cases and controls completed a structured questionnaire including demographic data, medical history, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Significant differences in sleep patterns were observed between epilepsy patients and controls (P < 0.001), with bedtime distribution differed significantly between cases and controls (P < 0.001). Cases show later bedtimes (P < 0.001), longer sleep onset latency (P < 0.001), and shorter sleep durations (P < 0.001) compared to controls. Although subjective sleep quality and other individual sleep parameters did not differ significantly between groups, the Global PSQI score was significantly higher in cases (median 8 [interquartile range (IQR): 6–10]) compared to controls (median 6 [IQR: 4–9]; P = 0.001). Stratified analysis revealed significant associations between sleep disturbance and factors such as age, gender, smoking status, marital status, employment, and the presence of chronic disease, with higher odds of sleep disturbance consistently found among cases (P < 0.001 for all). Conclusion and Recommendations: Sleep disturbances are significantly prevalent among epileptic patients and are affected by a range of demographic and clinical factors, including age, gender, smoking status, and the presence of chronic illness. To enhance sleep quality, it is crucial to address these factors by conducting a thorough sleep evaluation, educating epileptic patients on sleep hygiene, along implementing targeted interventions such as smoking cessation programs.
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AlGhamdi, T., Nooh, R., Bamogaddam, F., et al. (2026). Impaired Sleep Quality and Epilepsy: A Case–control Study in Riyadh. Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.4103/jnsm.jnsm_179_24