Is Running Safe for Epileptics?

Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
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Did you know that over 600 people are given an epilepsy diagnosis every week? Even more may have seizures but not realize it. Still others will have one epileptic seizure in their life but never experience another one. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting an estimated 50 million people. 

It’s true…people who are known to have seizures are usually told by a doctor to avoid any “dangerous or stressful activity.”

But does this include running, jogging and other forms of intensive exercise? 

The main issue of concern is whether sporting activity or athletics is dangerous for epileptics. Because a person engaging in regular exercise is one of the best ways to control the frequency and severity of seizures. 

Exercise Does Help

According to one study, regular aerobic exercise can “reduce seizure frequency”, as well as improve cardiovascular and psychological health in people who have epilepsy. Losing weight and staying fit is beneficial for your health, and is recommended as treatment against comorbidities like diabetes and epilepsy. 

That said, there have been some rare instances in which running has indirectly caused problems for people with epilepsy. If a runner were to experience dehydration or overheating after running, that could trigger a seizure. 

The risk is low but still significant, which is why it’s highly recommended to talk to your doctor first, before planning any extensive running or new exercise regimen. 

Running, as well as other sports, involve concentration and careful eye-hand coordination. Unfortunately, if by some chance seizures do happen, they can break a person’s concentration or even lead to temporary loss of consciousness. If someone is running at a fast pace, falling and injury would be the biggest threat. 

Understanding Epilepsy and Risk Factors

It’s important that sufferers and their family members research epilepsy to understand the most significant risks and the lifestyle changes that could help. Doctors advise patients to learn how to identify triggers that may lead to a seizure. 

Not all seizures look or feel the same either. Since the term refers to “surges of abnormal or excessive electrical activity in the brain” this could involve strange sounds in your ear, feelings in your gut, muscle spasms, staring into space, rapid blinking, or or even what seems like a hallucination or a feeling of deja vu. 

What helps the most is planning around these episodes and making sure that the person can recognize the pattern, stop what they’re doing (whether at work or in athletic activity), and minimize the chance of damage or injury. 

You can read more about what epilepsy is and how to treat symptoms from this news site.

You Were Born to Run

Learning that you have epilepsy can be discouraging at first. But learning more about triggers and treatment can help you to rebuild and reschedule your life. You don’t have to give up the hobbies and activities you love. 

For example, a lack of exercise, forgetting medication, stress, and a lack of sleep are known to trigger seizures. Flashing lights and abusing drugs or alcohol is another common trigger. Avoiding these triggers reduces the chance of a seizure. 

Exercise on its own is natural therapy! In fact, the International League Against Epilepsy has stated repeatedly that athletic sports do not cause seizures. There are even runs organized for epileptic athletes as we’ve covered in Colorado Runner before.

You can enjoy a normal life with epilepsy by taking a few simple precautions. Protect yourself by running with a buddy, or using a cellphone GPS app so family or friends can track your location. Keeping well hydrated and running at cooler temperatures can also reduce the risk of triggering a seizure. 

Don’t let any obstacles hold you back from setting a new record! Keep running and stay safe.

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