If you have epilepsy, this diagnosis is based on your experience of a recurring pattern of seizures. There are many types of epilepsy and different types of seizures. A seizure occurs when your brain's electrical activity is abnormal, resulting in physical or behavioral symptoms. For some people, certain factors associated with running may precipitate seizures, regardless of whether they have epilepsy. Consult your doctor for medical advice about seizure control.
Dehydration
Severe dehydration has the potential to cause a one-off seizure for those with no prior seizures or diagnosis of epilepsy. A study of non-epileptic children published in 1993 linked the children's seizures to dehydration caused by diarrhea. Likewise, running can cause significant dehydration; as you sweat, water is lost from your body. If you run in a humid and hot environment, your risk of dehydration is higher. Reduce the risk of dehydration-related seizures by running at cooler times of the day and drinking plenty of water.
Light Flickering or Flashing
Some people with epilepsy experience seizures when they are exposed to flickering or flashing lights. If you have seizures in response to light triggers, you are photosensitive. Common seizure triggers for photosensitive epilepsy include strobe lighting and certain video game effects. When you are running, a situation may arise naturally in which flickering or flashing light effects precipitate a seizure. If you run on an indoor treadmill, gym televisions or flickering lighting may lower your seizure threshold. Outdoors, sunlight can have a flashing effect between trees, buildings or other objects. Wind turbines in the sunlight can create a flickering light effect that causes seizures, according to a report in the June 2008 issue of "Epilepsia." You can reduce the risk of such seizures by running when the light is lower -- early morning or late afternoon.
Hyperventilation
Running hard and fast may cause you to hyperventilate. This rapid, shallow form of breathing is a common seizure trigger for people with diverse types of epilepsy. Hyperventilation reduces oxygen flow to the brain and is commonly used as part of diagnostic imaging for epilepsy. Patients may be asked to hyperventilate by blowing a spin-wheel during an electroencephalogram, or EEG, with the aim of provoking seizure activity that will show up on the EEG reading. Author Eve LaPlante indicates that less intense forms of exercise reduce the risk of hyperventilation and associated seizures. She gives the example of a man who could ski cross-country without seizures but experienced hyperventilation-related seizures when skiing downhill. When running, reduce the risk of hyperventilation by running more slowly and practicing deep-breathing techniques.
Hyponatremia
A state of hyponatremia can induce a one-off seizure. Hyponatremia occurs when your blood sodium levels get too low. This may happen as a result of sweating and overconsumption of water. A case study published in "The Physician and Sports Medicine" says a healthy, non-epileptic adult man experienced a seizure after working in a hot environment and drinking approximately 6 liters of water. Salt had been lost in his sweat, and the water he drank diluted the remaining sodium in his blood to a dangerously low level, provoking the seizure. Endurance athletes can avoid hyponatremia by increasing salt intake before running and limiting water consumption. You also can reduce your sodium loss through sweat if you run at a lower intensity or in a cooler environment.
References
- "Seized"; Eve LaPlante; 2000
- Zhonghua Min Guo Xiao Er Ke Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi"; Benign Seizures Associated with Mild Diarrhea: Clinical Analysis of 20 Cases; Y.C. Wang, et al.; 1993
- "Epilepsia"; Wind Turbines, Flicker and Photosensitive Epilepsy: Characterizing the Flashing that may Precipitate Seizures and Optimizing Guidelines to Prevent Them; G. Harding, et al.; June 2008
- MedLine Plus: Seizures
- "The Physician and Sports Medicine"; Seizure After Exercise in the Heat: Recognizing Life-Threatening Hyponatremia; S.D. Flinn; September 2000
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