Healthy Lifestyle Habits To Help Manage Epilepsy

Most people with epilepsy need medications to help manage their condition, and this is a well known fact. But the medication doesn’t always eliminate the seizure activity completely, and sometimes more needs to be done in order to manage epilepsy.

And sometimes, even if all the seizures are being managed by the medication, the medication is causing unwanted side effects that patients want reduced.

The answer to both those problems could be answered, or partially answered, by adopting certain healthy lifestyle habits that may help manage the condition itself or the negative effects of the meds.

So I wanted to share some of those healthy lifestyle habits today, as well as talk about how each one can impact someone’s life. Let’s get started!

Getting Plenty Of Quality Rest

Sleep is a huge part of managing epilepsy. And not only does getting a good amount of it provide you with health benefits, but not getting enough could actually make epilepsy symptoms worse! So the importance of sleep in epilepsy treatment can’t be understated.

How much sleep do you need?

Generally speaking, adults need about 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep. Whereas children might need a bit more, with younger children needing to sleep longer than older children. But there is some variation with how much sleep each person needs, so it’s really a matter of finding what’s right for you.

What does “quality sleep” mean?

The term quality sleep refers to times when you sleep through the night and wake up feeling energized. If you don’t wake up feeling rested then you probably didn’t get quality sleep.

Less than optimal sleep would entail you being restless while asleep, waking up multiple times in the night, having trouble going to sleep, etc.

The issue with getting quality sleep as someone with epilepsy is that seizures, especially if they’re nocturnal, can actually disrupt your sleep and cause you to feel fatigued even after you’ve rested.

Thankfully, there are some things you can do to hopefully combat this.

How can you get quality sleep?

Stay consistent, in order to build solid sleep patterns you need to ideally go to bed and wake up at about the same time every day.

Perform relaxing activities before bed; examples include taking a warm shower, meditating, journaling, reading, etc.

Make sure you have the right sleeping environment, things like too much light or noise could disrupt your sleep. Blackout curtains and eye masks could be used to cut out the light, and ear plugs or white noise machines could help with a noisy environment.

Avoid things right before bed that will disrupt your sleep. Don’t drink caffeine for at least 6 hours before going to bed, don’t look at any source of blue light before bed (such as the light that comes from electronic devices), don’t perform vigorous activity too close to bed, and don’t eat too late at night.

Sticking To A Healthy Diet

Eating clean and healthy is important for everyone, but it can be especially vital to treating epilepsy. And in fact, some diets may actually be prescribed by a doctor as a treatment plan for the condition. Such as the ketogenic diet.

But even if you don’t have dietary restrictions, there are certain foods which are best to avoid and certain foods that could eliminate side effects from epilepsy and the medications used to treat it.

Which foods should you eat?

A typical balanced diet consists of many foods; ranging from lean meats to fruits and vegetables. But the great part about food is that you can customize what you eat to give you the benefits that you need. So don’t be afraid to perfect your diet in the way that suits you.

Because at the end of the day, every food has different benefits. So if you’re looking to counteract a specific side effect with your diet, then research the foods that will do that. For instance, if you’re looking for more energy then you may want to eat more eggs. Or if you want to reduce your headaches, maybe you could try bananas.

These are just examples of course, but I just wanted to illustrate my point. Rach, my daughter, finds a lot of benefits from eating certain sources of protein such as eggs and chicken. So we incorporate that a lot into our diet.

Which foods should you avoid?

Processed foods are some of the worst things you can put into your body, but a lot of food is processed nowadays so it can be hard to avoid. Although, even if you can only cut out processed foods for one meal a day, it could make a big difference.

As much as possible, you should also try to avoid foods with a lot of sugar in them since this can be a trigger for seizures as well as come with a lot of side effects.

And finally, if there are any foods that you see negatively affect you personally, try to cut them out. Some foods can even be a personal seizure trigger. Annatto is one of Rach’s triggers, it’s a colorant that’s found in a lot of orange/yellow colored food products. Cutting it out of our diet resulted in her having less seizures!

Extra Note -

I can’t stress this enough, but hydration is key when it comes to managing epilepsy. Partially because dehydration can be a major trigger for seizures, partially because adequate hydration can help you feel a lot better, and partially because of a bunch of other reasons that I can’t even list.

Water is one of our life sources, so make sure to get enough in your system every day.

Moving Your Body Daily

Another classic healthy habit is to get plenty of exercise. But this one might be the most difficult to manage for some people, so it could require quite a bit of personalization.

What are the challenges of exercise for people with epilepsy?

Exercising can be difficult anyway; especially if you’re older, out of shape, slightly overweight, tired, etc. But the difficulty is heightened for those with epilepsy because of a few different things.

Firstly, physical exertion can actually trigger seizures in some people and some exercises might even be dangerous to have a seizure in the middle if.

Secondly, the medications for seizures can often come with the unwanted side effects of making you sleepy, weak, dizzy, and a lot of other things that could make it difficult to work out.

And of course, there are a lot of other challenges that you may personally have.

Why is exercising so important, especially if you have epilepsy?

Despite the challenges, most of the time exercise can help counteract some of those negative side effects once you get into the routine of doing it and overcome those hurdles we just talked about.

And because many seizure medications can cause weight gain, it’s vital that you try to stay as fit as you can under the circumstances. Because even if you can’t fully control the side effects, you can improve your quality of life by doing so.

Plus, seizures can be hard on your body and specifically your heart. So it’s important that you do what you can to strengthen yourself and body back up.

And best of all, there’s some evidence that exercise can reduce seizures!

What are some workouts you could try?

The type of workout you choose to do will depend on your preferences and limitations. But here are a few workouts that I’d suggest trying…

Walking - Simply taking a walk every day can be a great way to get your heart pumping, stretch your muscles, and prevent things like bad circulation and blood clots. It’s also a great way to get started with exercise, and over time, you can extend the amount you walk or even start to jog.

Yoga - Yoga is a fantastic workout to try if you struggle with anxiety from your epilepsy, because not only does it stretch the body but it calms the mind. Plus it can help alleviate muscle pain you may experience because of your seizures.

Taking Care Of Your Mental Health

There’s no denying that epilepsy can have a negative impact on your mental health, so making it a part of your daily routine to do something that boosts your mood and makes you feel better mentally and emotionally is extremely important.

What are some ways you can improve your mental health?

There are a variety of suggestions online for how to keep your mindset in good repair, but here are some tips that I personally like…

I think it’s important to do something you like everyday if you can, even if it’s something as simple as playing your favorite game for a few minutes or drinking your favorite smoothie every morning. Because doing the things we love can result in a major boost to our mental health.

I also think journaling can be a great way to release any pent up emotions you might be having, as well as providing you with a way to work through your feelings in a more physical way. Since you can see the words on the page. Who knows, you might even find it inspiring later to look back on your old entries.

And finally, don’t be afraid to talk to others about how you’re feeling. Socializing with your loved ones can be so therapeutic and they can be a great outlet for comfort.

When should you consider therapy?

I also wanted to mention that there’s no shame in seeking out some therapy if you feel like you need some help taking care of your mental health. You might find that it really helps, and it could even benefit you in physical ways as well if you’re able to reduce things like stress and anxiety.

So if you feel like you can no longer take care of your mental health on your own and you find yourself suffering from anxiety or depression, then it may be time to consult with a professional.

Extra Note -

Many epilepsy medications can actually result in things like depression, and even suicidal thoughts, so you should always tell your doctor about how you’re doing mentally. You may need to change medications, etc. And your healthcare provider can provide you with that advice.

Remember though, that the perfect healthy lifestyle will look different for everyone…

All of the healthy habits that I’ve mentioned today could be helpful to add into your life, but certain ones might be more beneficial to you than others. So it’s all about finding what works for you, everyone will have a slightly different epilepsy management plan.

And I also want to say that you don’t have to try and add all these habits to your life at once! Because I realize that a journey of treating epilepsy is overwhelming as it is, especially if you’re at the beginning of it. And the list of healthy lifestyle changes to make is a long one.

For instance, when it comes to Rach and her epilepsy management, we’ve accumulated habits that work for us over time. Very much based on her individual needs.

We tested various habits and changes one at a time, and if it worked then we stuck with it. And over the years we’ve figured out that a good sleep schedule is vital for her, that certain foods trigger her seizures, and that hydration is key! Among other things of course, such as her medication.

I just wanted to add this note to remind you that you don’t have to go from zero to one hundred with lifestyle changes, because they can be hard to adjust to. Baby steps go a lot further than many people think, so don’t be afraid to go slow.

My Sourcing…

One of my main sources for this post was various articles on Epilepsy.com which is a site I highly recommend to people looking to learn more about this condition. They have an endless amount of information stored away there, so be sure to check it out!