Stress and Epilepsy
Stress and epilepsy: fact or fiction, and what can we do about it?
This research article investigates the effects of stress on people with epilepsy. According to Galtrey, Mula, & Cock, people with epilepsy have reported that stress is their most common trigger for seizures. Some people even believe that stress is what causes their epilepsy in the first place.
In previous studies, 10-83% of people with epilepsy from the UK, USA, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, and Scandinavia all identified stress as a major trigger. There are also studies of seizures and epilepsy that accompany traumatic events. One example of this being a study on children with epilepsy during and after the 1991-1992 Croatian war. This study showed that children from directly affected areas had more seizures than before the war when compared to those from unaffected areas.
Preclinical studies have shown that early life stress also predisposes the brain to provoked seizures and to later …show more content…
Beginning with biofeedback, a process described by Galtrey, Mula, & Cock as a process that enables individuals to learn to change measured physiological activity in order to reduce seizure frequency. With this method, patients receive rapid and accurate feedback of physiological data along with identifying changes in their thinking, emotions, and behavior. Using mindfulness is solely practicing awareness of sensory and mental experiences as they happen. Yoga is a mind-body approach centered on meditation in conjunction with mindfulness, breathing, and physical activity. Lastly, acceptance and commitment theory, an empirically based psychological intervention as mentioned by Galtrey, Mula, & Cock, uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies with commitment and behavior-changing strategies to increase psychological
Stress and epilepsy: fact or fiction, and what can we do about it?
This research article investigates the effects of stress on people with epilepsy. According to Galtrey, Mula, & Cock, people with epilepsy have reported that stress is their most common trigger for seizures. Some people even believe that stress is what causes their epilepsy in the first place.
In previous studies, 10-83% of people with epilepsy from the UK, USA, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, and Scandinavia all identified stress as a major trigger. There are also studies of seizures and epilepsy that accompany traumatic events. One example of this being a study on children with epilepsy during and after the 1991-1992 Croatian war. This study showed that children from directly affected areas had more seizures than before the war when compared to those from unaffected areas.
Preclinical studies have shown that early life stress also predisposes the brain to provoked seizures and to later …show more content…
Beginning with biofeedback, a process described by Galtrey, Mula, & Cock as a process that enables individuals to learn to change measured physiological activity in order to reduce seizure frequency. With this method, patients receive rapid and accurate feedback of physiological data along with identifying changes in their thinking, emotions, and behavior. Using mindfulness is solely practicing awareness of sensory and mental experiences as they happen. Yoga is a mind-body approach centered on meditation in conjunction with mindfulness, breathing, and physical activity. Lastly, acceptance and commitment theory, an empirically based psychological intervention as mentioned by Galtrey, Mula, & Cock, uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies with commitment and behavior-changing strategies to increase psychological