5 Strategies for Managing Epilepsy in Adulthood

At last count, nearly 3 million adults in the United States have active epilepsy, which is about 1% of the adult population. And anyone can develop the condition at any time. First-time seizures are as common among kids as they are among adults over the age of 65. In fact, epilepsy is far from uncommon, and 1 out of every 26 people is affected.

Given these numbers and realities, neurology specialists such as Dr. Paul Gill and our team at Gill Neuroscience, spend a good deal of time helping patients to safely navigate the world of epilepsy. In the following, we outline some key practices that we often share with patients to help them better manage epilepsy.

Epilepsy at a glance

If you're reading this, we’re going to assume that you have some basic understanding of epilepsy, but we want to quickly review the condition to make sure we’re on the same page.

Epilepsy is a disorder in which surges of electrical activity in the brain lead to seizures. In most cases, we diagnose epilepsy after two unprovoked seizures.

These seizures can vary depending upon the area of the brain that they affect, so they can lead to symptoms that range from staring blankly to violent convulsions and loss of consciousness.

Best practices for managing epilepsy

Now let’s get into our discussion surrounding solid techniques for managing epilepsy, given the major impact it can have on your life.

Enlist a specialized epilepsy team

The first thing anyone with epilepsy should do is to put themselves under the expert care of a neurology team that has experience with epilepsy. At Gill Neuroscience, we have such a team. 

Epilepsy isn’t simple and has no cure, so it requires some investigation into triggers, types of seizures, and your medical history to make sure that we address the issue properly. 

Don’t skip medications

Once we figure out the types of seizures you’re having, we can place you on medications to control them. These medications work very well for many people and allow these people to navigate the world with more confidence.

Whatever medications we find to be effective for you, it’s important to keep up with them and not skip doses. Even skipping one or two doses can diminish its protective effects.

Keep a firm sleep schedule

Fatigue and lack of sleep are big triggers for epilepsy, so we always tell patients to pay close attention to sleep habits. Carving out 7-9 hours a night for sleep is essential. We recommend going to bed around the same time each day to create a good sleep rhythm.

Know your triggers

Speaking of triggers, you should keep an epilepsy diary so you can figure out whether your seizures develop in response to something. For example, stress, lack of sleep, and menstrual cycles can all influence epilepsy.

In fact, there’s a type of epilepsy called reflex epilepsy. An example of this is photosensitive epilepsy, which consists of seizures that occur in response to flashing lights.

Knowing what triggers your epilepsy is a highly effective way to create a plan to mitigate those triggers, thereby reducing your chances for seizures.

Play everything out

If you’re having active seizures, keep reminding yourself of this when you face new pursuits. For example, if you’re about to go for a hike in a remote area by yourself, play that through and maybe choose somewhere more public or arrange to check in with someone before and after your hike.

Seizures are a fact of life for people with epilepsy, and you do need to make accommodations from time to time to keep safe. Making these accommodations and taking some extra precautions can help you navigate your epilepsy more safely.

If you’d like to design a more personalized epilepsy plan with our team, we’re happy to do so. To get that ball rolling, please call our Houston, Texas, office at 832-912-7777, or use our online form to request an appointment.