Irish brain science centre and Ozlo Sleepbuds launch partnership to alleviate epilepsy symptoms
An Irish-based brain science centre has launched a collaboration with Ozlo Sleepbuds to help investigate and address sleep disruption in people living with epilepsy.
FutureNeuro, the Research Ireland Centre for Translational Brain Science, have launched this partnership with Ozlo to look for alternative ways to alleviate epilepsy symptoms and improve sleep quality.
Around 45,000 people in Ireland are affected by epilepsy, with approximately 50 million people being affected worldwide.
Anti-seizure medications are an effective treatment for many people, but there are still 30-40% of people continuing to experience seizures.
The Royal College of Surgeons say that seizures may follow circadian rhythms and can occur during sleep. With disrupted sleep increasing the risk of seizures, nocturnal symptoms can further destabilise sleep.
The partnership will work with Epilepsy Ireland and will recruit 60 adults with epilepsy and sleep disturbances. This will also include people with drug-responsive and drug-resistant forms of epilepsy.
The participants will use home-based monitoring to assess their sleep, followed by four weeks of at-home use of Ozlo Sleepbuds. The sleepbuds will combine engineered audio and adaptive noise masking to help reduce disruptions and support more consistent sleep.
The group will use a combination of biological tests, like saliva samples, to track hormonal changes and a device to monitor sleep wake cycles, as well as diaries and questionnaires.
Dr Cristina Reschke, co-lead at FutureNeuro and RCSI, said: “Many people living with epilepsy struggle not only with seizures, but with poor sleep and fatigue that affect every aspect of daily life. We know that sleep and seizure activity are closely linked, yet sleep is rarely addressed in a structured way in clinical care.
“Through this study, we want to better understand that relationship and explore practical, accessible ways to improve sleep and ultimately quality of life, beyond medication alone.”
Founder of Ozlo, N.B Patil said: “We’re excited to partner with FutureNeuro on research exploring how improving sleep may support people living with epilepsy. Ozlo was founded with a mission to help people achieve deep, restorative rest, and this collaboration reflects our commitment to advancing the science of sleep and its impact on overall well-being.”