Managing Triggers
Some people find that seizures may occur in a pattern or are more likely to occur in certain situations or under certain conditions. This is why it is important to keep track of any factors that may bring on a seizure (also called seizure triggers). This is helpful, because avoiding or managing seizure triggers is something you can do to lessen the chance that a seizure may occur under those circumstances. Parents and caregivers can also do this for their loved one with epilepsy.
Remember that not all people with epilepsy have seizure triggers. For those who do have triggers, triggers might be different from person to person. For example, seizures may occur only during sleep or when waking up. Some women may notice that they are more likely to have a seizure during certain parts of their menstrual cycle. Other people may notice seizures more often at times of high stress.
To manage seizure triggers, you first have to identify your triggers, then create plans to avoid them. It may also be helpful to adjust your seizure preparedness plans.
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Customize Your Seizure Action PlanHow to Identify Triggers
The best way to identify possible seizure triggers is to keep a seizure diary. Some people like to use a paper calendar, notebook, or journal. Others use computerized spreadsheets or calendars. To make it even easier, you may want to try seizure tracking apps or the paper Monthly Seizure Calendar or our paper Seizure Event Diary. This way you won’t have to rely on your memory to try to figure out what happened when you had a seizure.
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Seizure DiariesIdentifying if you have any triggers to your seizures and what they are may take a while. Some people may have very specific factors that occur just before or during the period of time that they have a seizure. Others notice that something may affect their seizures only during certain times of the day or month. Try these steps:
Identify Specific Triggers
Get into the habit of writing down in your seizure diary how much you sleep, any stressful events, if you drink alcohol or use illicit or 'recreational' drugs, or are sick with another illness or have a fever. Also write down when you forget to take your medication or run out of medicines, because missed medicines are the most common triggers for many people.
Identify High-Risk Times
Note if there are any specific patterns to when your seizures occur, for example if you've been sick, or if they occur at night, upon awakening, during very stressful times (both 'good' and 'bad' stress), or around the time of your period (if you have menstrual cycles).
Recording Triggers
If you have a seizure, enter it on the appropriate day of your calendar, noting the type of seizure and the time that it occurred. When possible, think about any unusual things or activities that occurred just prior to the seizure, or in the preceding day, and write those on the calendar too.
Triggers may include:
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Seizure TriggersEvaluating Triggers
After you track and record potential triggers for a period of time, look at your notes. Does any of the following occur?
- Are there any triggers that happen fairly consistently before or around the time of a seizure?
- Do these triggers happen at other times, too? If so, how often do the triggers occur and you don't have a seizure?
- Do you have a 'high-risk time'? For example, is there a time when your seizures are more likely to occur - a certain time of day, night, or time of month?
- How often do you have high-risk times without seizures?
- Are there certain situations in which you are more likely to have a seizure? It might become more apparent what your seizure triggers could be and when your 'high-risk' times are.
- How often do you have seizures only in certain situations or environments?
Remember to look at how often seizures occur with the potential trigger and how often without a trigger.
Take your seizure diaries or calendars to show to your doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional for their opinion. If you are using an online seizure diary, print out a report and take it to your appointment. These reports and calendars can help you and your doctor notice patterns and possible seizure triggers more easily.
The next step is to figure out how to reduce your exposure to those triggers or learn how to change or modify your behavior or lifestyle appropriately.
Ways to Manage Triggers
After identifying your specific triggers, you can take steps to avoid them. Tips to manage different triggers include:
- Healthy eating- Adjusting your eating habits can reduce nutritional deficiencies.
- Reducing stress- Find ways to manage stress in life by meditating, writing in a diary, or listening to a favorite song.
- Managing medication- Manage not only your anti-seizure medications but your over-the-counter medications, too. Make sure you take the recommended doses of medication. Check for side effects that could trigger seizures and any medication interactions.
- Practicing sleep hygiene- Practice good sleep hygiene to get quality sleep at night. Going to bed and waking up at the same times every day can help.
- Reducing alcohol or drug use- If alcohol or certain drugs trigger your seizures, reduce or stop these activities.
- Preparing for menstrual cycles- Ask your healthcare team about different ways to reduce seizures during this time. This may include adjusting ASM doses or taking an additional medication for several days. Hormone treatments may also be effective.
- Avoiding flashing lights- For photosensitivity, avoid environmental lighting by wearing a hat or adjusting seating positions. During screentime, sit at a recommended distance and take breaks.
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More Tips for Specific Seizure TriggersResources
Epilepsy Centers
Epilepsy centers provide you with a team of specialists to help you diagnose your epilepsy and explore treatment options.
Epilepsy Medication
Find in-depth information on anti-seizure medications so you know what to ask your doctor.
Epilepsy and Seizures Helpline
Call our Epilepsy and Seizures Helpline and talk with an epilepsy information specialist or submit a question online.
Tools & Resources
Get information, tips, and more to help you manage your epilepsy.
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