CAN STRESS TRIGGER EPILEPTIC SEIZURES?
Stress is a state of mental or emotional tension that feels different to each person. More than 80% of people who have epilepsy say that emotional stress makes seizures start. This link tends to weaken the longer someone has epilepsy, but half of those with epilepsy who have had seizures for more than 30 years still report it.Emotional shock can trigger crises.
Some believe mood swings before a disaster can predict problems hours later.
Crisis prodromes, which can include changes in behaviour, cognitive problems, anxiety, and fatigue, can start anywhere from a few minutes to two days before a crisis and last several hours. Some people may forecast emergencies, even hours after a stressful incident, especially if they have mood swings before a catastrophe.
Stress that lasts for a long time can also make it harder to control epilepsy. People with stress-sensitive epilepsy have a brain that reacts more quickly to stress hormones, primarily cortisol. Stress is a major source of crises, although it is unclear if it causes epilepsy.
Stress is a major source of crises, although it is unclear if it causes epilepsy.
Small prospective trials using general stress-reduction methods, like yoga, mindfulness, etc., have shown promise in helping people with epilepsy. Large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to convince patients and clinicians that stress-reduction approaches should be routine epilepsy treatments. More research needs to be done in this area to find out how stress and attacks are connected on a biological level and to make treatment suggestions based on scientific evidence.
