If you have epilepsy, chances are you will try to minimize any activities that increase the number of seizures you experience. Additionally, the fear of falling might lead you to avoid exercise because you worry about seizure-related injuries. In fact, very few people experience an increase in seizure level from cardiovascular exercise. Always consult with your doctor for medical advice regarding seizure control and exercise.
Types
Seizures can be caused by a range of factors, from sleep deprivation to alcohol withdrawal. Anyone might experience a seizure in his lifetime, but unless these seizures are recurring, an epilepsy diagnosis is unlikely. There are many types of seizures, which might or might not involve a loss of consciousness, convulsing or shaking, incontinence, mental "absence" or sensory hallucinations.
Expert Insight
Eve LaPlante, in her 2000 book "Seized," indicates that hyperventilation can provoke epileptic seizures because of decreased oxygen supply to the brain. LaPlante cites the example of a man who enjoyed downhill skiing but suffered frequent seizures. It was found that the cardiovascular exertion of downhill skiing was causing him to hyperventilate, leading to seizures. When he changed to the gentler exercise of cross-country skiing, exercise-induced seizures ceased.
Considerations
Writing in the February 2005 issue of the journal "Epilepsy & Behavior," neurologist Mary Ann Werz reports that exercise-related seizures might not necessarily be caused by epilepsy. Werz states that when a loss of consciousness occurs only during exercise, there is more likely a cardiovascular cause than a neurological one. Werz asserts this to be the case regardless of whether seizure activity such as convulsions is witnessed. However, Werz reports that seizures experienced during exercise by a person who also has seizures without exercising are likely to be epileptic in nature. Some people with epilepsy find that exercise contributes to an increased occurrence of seizures.
Misconceptions
The May 1999 issue of the journal "Epilepsia" reported the results of a study by Norway's National Center for Epilepsy. This study surveyed 204 patients with active epilepsy and found that those subjects who exercised regularly did so at a rate similar to the general Norwegian population. Of the study patients, roughly one in 10 reported having quite frequent exercise-related seizures; however, the study found that only one in 50 of the patients actually experience seizures related to exercise.
Warning
Seizures can cause a range of injuries, so you should aim to reduce the risk of exercise-related seizures. Anti-epileptic medications typically will control your seizure rate overall, and you can take exercise-specific precautions to reduce the likelihood of a seizure. Exercise with others or in a supervised facility such as a gym or fitness club.
