en.Wedoany.com Reported - June 9, 2026 – FutureNeuro (the Irish Research Centre for Translational Brain Science) announced a new research partnership with Ozlo, the manufacturer of Ozlo Sleepbuds®, to investigate whether in-ear sleep technology can help address sleep disturbances in people with epilepsy.
Epilepsy affects approximately 50 million people worldwide, including around 45,000 in Ireland. While anti-epileptic medications are effective for many patients, 30% to 40% continue to experience seizures. Sleep disturbances and fatigue are common issues that can significantly impact quality of life.
Seizures often follow the body's 24-hour internal clock (circadian rhythm), which also controls the sleep-wake cycle, and seizures frequently occur during sleep. Sleep disruption can increase susceptibility to seizures, while seizures, medication effects, and nocturnal symptoms further disturb sleep. Despite growing evidence of this bidirectional relationship, sleep and circadian assessments are not yet routinely integrated into epilepsy care, highlighting an unmet clinical need to improve understanding and develop accessible, non-pharmacological interventions.
The collaboration will focus on the EPI-SLEEP study (Effects of Personalised In-Ear Sleep Technology on Sleep Disturbances in Epilepsy), led by Dr. Cristina Reschke and co-led by Dr. Rob Argent, at the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, alongside researchers from FutureNeuro.
The study, conducted in partnership with Epilepsy Ireland, will recruit 60 adults with focal epilepsy and sleep disturbances, including both medication-sensitive and medication-refractory patients. Participants will undergo home-based multimodal monitoring to assess sleep and circadian patterns, followed by four weeks of home use of Ozlo Sleepbuds®. Ozlo Sleepbuds® are sleep wearables designed for all-night comfort, combining engineered audio and adaptive noise masking to help reduce environmental disturbances and support more continuous sleep.
The study will combine biological tests (including saliva samples to track hormonal changes and watch-like devices to monitor sleep-wake cycles) with validated participant diaries and questionnaires to assess changes in sleep quality, circadian stability, mood, and overall quality of life, and to examine whether these improvements persist after the observation period.
Dr. Cristina Reschke, joint lead researcher at FutureNeuro and RCSI, said that many people with epilepsy not only struggle with seizures but also suffer from poor sleep and fatigue that affect every aspect of daily life. Sleep and seizure activity are closely linked, yet sleep is rarely addressed in a structured way in clinical care. The study aims to better understand this relationship and explore practical, accessible ways to improve sleep and quality of life beyond medication alone.
By combining FutureNeuro's expertise in sleep and circadian neuroscience with Ozlo's wearable technology, the study aims to generate robust evidence for a low-risk, non-pharmacological approach to improving sleep in people with epilepsy without increasing medication burden.
N.B. Patil, founder of Ozlo, said they are excited to partner with FutureNeuro to study how improving sleep can help people with epilepsy. Ozlo's mission is to help people achieve deep, restorative rest, and this collaboration reflects a commitment to advancing sleep science and its impact on overall health.
This partnership is part of FutureNeuro's broader digital health strategy, which focuses on translating neuroscience research into practical, evidence-based solutions for people with neurological disorders. The EPI-SLEEP study may not only offer a new approach for epilepsy but could also provide insights for other neurological conditions where circadian disruption plays a role.
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