Stress & Anxiety

Seizures can something be predicted, but most of the times , they can’t. When you have epilepsy, you start to notice types of triggers that can cause your seizure. My seizure triggers are sleep deprivation , stress and diet. My mom always tells me “don’t stress”. But it is easier said than done. 🙁

Is Stress or Anxiety is a Seizure Trigger, What Should I Do?

Here are a number of things you could do to lessen the chance of a seizure. 

• First, look at how stress is affecting you and how you are coping with it. Is there a way to lessen its impact on you? Are there ways to manage stress better? 
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Cardio
• Are you having sleep problems? Difficulty sleeping is a common symptom of stress and mood problems. Since sleep deprivation is a common seizure trigger, it’s important to pay attention to sleep at these times. 
  • Ask your doctor about Melatonin. It may interact with the medications you are taking.
• Are you eating normally? Eating habits often get disrupted when people are feeling stressed. Some people eat more, others don’t eat or have poor eating habits. Some people find they have more seizures when not eating well or going long periods without eating. Maybe you are drinking too much coffee or caffeinated beverages? This can worsen seizures by disrupting your sleep.
  • The Ketogenic diet works for many people either with seizures, people who want to lose weight or just feeling better mentally.
• Is alcohol or using ‘recreational’ drugs a problem? Sometimes substance use or abuse is a problem when people have mood problems or are feeling stressed. Not a good idea if you have seizures.

Stress & The Holidays
Holidays are a busy time of the year. The stress and potential loss of sleep during this time can be a seizure trigger for some. If you are concerned about increased seizure activity around the holidays, consider:

• Managing your time and activities during the day (shopping, cooking, parties)
• Limited alcohol consumption
• Increasing exercise time to help relieve stress

Every time you feel stress coming on, just take a deep breadth and asay a positive affirmation 🙂