Science

Selim R. Benbadis and Lynn Liu

Sleep occupies a third of our existence. The most common sleep disorder of excessive sleepiness, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA), has been estimated to be undiagnosed in 24% in men and 9% in women in a middle aged population, and its incidence increases with age. Additionally, as the population ages, more people are diagnosed with new onset epilepsy, and the cause is usually unknown. Furthermore, patients with epilepsy have been shown to be more likely to have OSA for several reasons including nocturnal seizures, CNS suppressing medications, and sedentary lifestyle. Based on the increasing frequencies of these two conditions, they are likely to present as comorbidities.