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Has anyone had seizures induced by exercise? My 13 year old has epilepsy. Her recent seizures have occurred while exercising doing cardio.

A MyEpilepsyTeam Member asked a question 💭
Greenville, PA
January 21
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A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Anything that has your blood pumping hard and being under the heat for a certain time could trigger it i have experienced it just keep hydrated

January 22
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Hello fellow Warriors, as a Researcher in Epileptic Triggers, the trigger of Heat will play a large role in causing seizures to happen when working out and causing the heat to happen and build up. This is because when the body gets hot, the temperature will start to rise. It's best to have a cold compress to cool off the body to prevent the seizures from happening.

Well my friends, take care and be careful when working out and doing exercises.

From your friend,
Tom W. Morgan
Researcher in Epileptic Triggers

January 21
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

When I was having a VEEG done, they had me ride a stationary bike for 15 minutes to induce seizures. I would then lie down and hyperventilate for five.

January 21
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Not me but yes this is a thing. A lot of people have this issue.

January 21
MyEpilepsyTeam

Has exercise been triggering your daughter's seizures during cardio workouts?

Exercise can sometimes trigger seizures in people with epilepsy, though it's not always clear why. Some common triggers during physical activity include:

- Exercising after very little sleep
- Working out on an empty stomach
- Overheating or Show Full Answer

Has exercise been triggering your daughter's seizures during cardio workouts?

Exercise can sometimes trigger seizures in people with epilepsy, though it's not always clear why. Some common triggers during physical activity include:

- Exercising after very little sleep
- Working out on an empty stomach
- Overheating or temperature changes
- Getting too excited or overstimulated
- Hyperventilating during intense cardio

Temperature changes seem to be particularly important. One parent shared that their son would seize after baths due to temperature shifts, so they had to adjust their routine. Similarly, activities that cause overheating or rapid temperature changes during exercise might be triggering your daughter's seizures.

It's worth noting that exercise itself can actually help with seizure control when done safely. The key is identifying and avoiding specific triggers while staying active.

Talk with your daughter's neurologist about these exercise-related seizures. They can help determine what's triggering them and whether adjustments to medication timing, exercise intensity, or environmental factors might help. Make sure anyone supervising her during physical activity knows about her epilepsy and what to do if a seizure occurs.

Keep track of the circumstances around each seizure - time of day, how long she'd been exercising, temperature, hydration level, and sleep the night before. This information will help her medical team identify patterns.

January 21

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