Your Mental and Physical Health

Taking Care of Yourself

Besides taking your medication regularly, you should also be managing your wellbeing and lifestyle.

Reduce Stress

For some people with epilepsy, stress can:

Be a seizure trigger
Make you feel overwhelmed, anxious, and/or angry
Cause more seizures; reducing stress may reduce number of seizures

Some great ways to reduce stress include yoga and meditation. There are many great yoga and meditation videos to watch and follow on YouTube.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is important for your overall well-being.

Lack of sleep can trigger a seizure for some people
Try to go to bed and get up around the same time every day
Try not to look at your smartphone or TV before sleeping
Avoid caffeine before bedtime

Eat Healthy Foods

Good nutrition may improve overall well-being and may help better control seizures.

Try to eat regularly throughout the day so blood sugar doesn’t get too low (low blood sugar is a seizure trigger for some)
Choose healthy foods
A ketogenic diet (high-fat, low-carb diet) could be recommended by your doctor and may help control seizures

Alcohol abuse increases the chance of serious health risks for those hospitalized with epilepsy

If you are at risk of epilepsy, avoiding the use of drugs and alcohol will help your overall health. Practicing healthy habits like exercise, a good diet, and stress-reducing activities is important for your quality of life.

Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise can:

Reduce seizure frequency and severity
Improve ability to pay attention, your mood, and overall quality of life
Lower your stress
Improve some side effects of ASMs

Steps to take to ensure that you are safe when exercising

Consult with your medical doctor, medical team, and support group about safety of exercising
Start your exercise routine with supervision or find yourself an exercise buddy
Always keep an ID with you
Always think about safety during exercise and sports
Do not use treadmills when you are alone and your seizures are not controlled
Start slow: less is more at first to make sure you are staying safe and able to handle the activity

Learn hacks and tips for exercising with epilepsy

DOWNLOAD HERE

Practice Emotional Health

You might find it helpful to talk to a healthcare professional, such as a psychologist or a social worker, about how epilepsy impacts your daily life. Building a strong support network and asking for help are important practices for improving emotional health.