When you think back to your last few seizures, do you notice any patterns in how you felt or what you were doing before they happened? These patterns may potentially be seizure triggers.
‘Triggers’ are things which may make it more likely that a person with epilepsy will have a seizure. They may be internal things such as feeling stressed, or external things like flashing lights. As you get to know your epilepsy better, you might start to notice what triggers seizures for you. Nine in ten people with epilepsy say they are aware of at least one seizure trigger that affects them.
By being aware of what triggers seizures for you, it might be possible to avoid them. You may find it helpful to track possible triggers - you can do this with the Epsy app.
In this article, you’ll learn about seven common seizure triggers that affect some people with epilepsy. If you have any questions about things that might trigger your seizures, ask your physician.
What is a seizure trigger?
A seizure trigger can be defined as: “those circumstances that precede the onset of an epileptic attack and are considered by both patient and neurologist to be a possible explanation for why the seizure happened when it did”. Seizures can come from the external environment (e.g., flashing lights, temperature), as well as inside a person (e.g., their emotional state, tiredness, or even what they’ve eaten). Since there are many different kinds of epilepsy, triggers vary from one person to the next.
7 common seizure triggers
People with epilepsy report having many different kinds of seizure triggers. It’s really important to speak with your doctor about possible seizure triggers and how to avoid them.
Here are seven common seizure triggers. These are ranked in no particular order and are based on triggers often mentioned in academic papers or trusted sources like the Epilepsy Foundation website.
It’s important to be aware that people may have seizure triggers that are not listed below.
- Missed medication: Missing doses of seizure medication may increase people’s risk of having a seizure. Forgetting to take anti-seizure medication is known to be a leading cause of breakthrough seizures.
- Tiredness: Many people with epilepsy find that being tired can be a seizure trigger for them. Research has found that tiredness is one of the most common seizure triggers among people with epilepsy.
- Stress: Stress affects the chemicals and electrical activity happening in people’s brains - and many people with epilepsy associate feeling stressed with seizures. In one study with 225 people, emotional stress was the second most common seizure trigger, with 64% of people saying this was a trigger for them. If you experience seizures triggered by anxiety and stress, speak with your medical team about ways to manage this stress.
- Alcohol: Knowing what triggers seizures in adults is important for doctors. For some people, alcohol can be a factor. If you’re thinking of drinking alcohol, speak with your doctor about the risks involved.
- Menstruation: Many women with epilepsy who menstruate have more seizures around the time they are having their periods (evidence suggests it affects about four women in ten). This is known as catamenial epilepsy.
User story: Read Nessa’s experiences with catamenial epilepsy
- Changes in the weather: Various studies have found that changes in the weather may be a seizure trigger for some people. A survey in the UK found that over 60% of people had more seizures during unusually hot weather, while a German study found low atmospheric pressure and high humidity were associated with people having more seizures.
- Flashing or flickering lights: Some people with epilepsy have seizures that are triggered by strobe lights. This is known as ‘photosensitive epilepsy’ - about 5% of people with epilepsy are believed to have it.
There are other kinds of possible triggers too - which may include caffeine, low blood sugar, dehydration, and illegal drugs - among many others.
Use a diary to track seizure triggers
One way to figure out if you have seizure triggers is to keep an epilepsy seizure diary. Epsy can be used to record possible seizure triggers. Some people find this useful to talk about at their appointments with physicians and neurologists too.
