It’s that time of year again, when we are all expected to eat, drink, and be merry. But with seizure triggers everywhere you turn, Christmas and New Year can be a minefield for people living with epilepsy. From rising stress levels to flashing lights, alcohol to sleep deprivation, avoiding epilepsy triggers can be a lot more difficult during the festive season.
Laura Cooke, a freelance journalist who has written about epilepsy for several publications, shares some tips and advice on staying safe and avoiding epilepsy triggers during the festive season.
As someone who was diagnosed with epilepsy nearly 20 years ago, I have spent the best part of two decades avoiding my major trigger, alcohol. Although most people respect this boundary, I have found that even those who should know better still try to push alcoholic drinks onto me over the festive season, as if my lifelong neurological condition has merely decided to take a little break over the Christmas period.
So how can you manage your epilepsy and protect yourself from triggers over the festive season, while still managing to indulge in some festive cheer?
From minimising stress to dealing with booze-brandishing revellers, here are some useful tips, tricks, and advice on how you can stay safe over the festive period while still managing to slay (or should that be sleigh?) at the work Christmas party.
1 . Plan ahead where you can
Christmas can be a hugely stressful time for everyone, but stress can be particularly hazardous for people with epilepsy, as it is a common trigger for seizures. However, a little bit of forward planning and time management can help take some of the pressure off during the countdown to the big day.
Block out some time in your diary, make some to-do lists, and spread out the Christmas shopping, food prep and other festive tasks. Breaking down large tasks into smaller, manageable chunks is definitely the way to go. Reserve an online supermarket shopping slot early to avoid having to join the in-store scrum on Christmas Eve.
In short, the less you have to do last-minute, the less stressed you will feel.
2. Just say no
The office Christmas party. Carol concerts. Boxing Day brunch. New Year knees-up. Social invitations can come flying in thick and fast at this time of year. You don’t have to go to any of it if you don’t want to.
While it is tempting to say yes to every invite that comes our way over the festive season, sometimes you just need to say no. Burning the candle at both ends can end in disaster as stress levels rise and a good night’s sleep becomes more elusive.
You don’t have to be a hermit, but picking and choosing which events to attend and which to politely decline is an essential act of self-care at this time of year. Forget being a people pleaser – this is about putting your health and wellbeing first.
3. Set aside some downtime
Just as important as deciding which Christmas socials to attend is factoring in some downtime to allow yourself to rest and recover. Whether your idea of downtime is daily meditation, booking a massage, or disappearing under the duvet to spend an afternoon in front of the TV watching terrible Christmas films, you do you.
Just make getting enough sleep a priority, as sleep deprivation is one of the most significant seizure triggers.
4. Beware the booze
It’s important you know your limits with alcohol and stick to them. Don’t put yourself at risk of a seizure in an attempt to appease others. It’s also worth remembering that alcohol can lessen the effectiveness of some anti-epileptic drugs.
My personal bugbear at any time of year is drinkers trying to force alcohol on teetotallers, particularly if the person in question can’t drink for health reasons. In an ideal world, you should not have to explain your teetotalness to anyone – after all, ‘no’ is a complete sentence.
Of course, you are under no obligation to reveal your diagnosis, but I have found the best way to stop the particularly relentless alcohol-pushers is to tell them, in explicit detail, exactly what will happen to me if I drink alcohol. This has generally stopped this behaviour in its tracks and, as a rule, they never try it again. Alternatively, a realistic-looking mocktail can sometimes be enough to discourage unwelcome attention from the alcohol police, without having to take the nuclear option.
If you work with drinkers who like to go hard at the Christmas party, then you may just want to give it a swerve altogether (see point 2). Alternatively, get involved at the planning stage and suggest steering the focus away from the bar to make for a more inclusive and welcoming event.
On a serious note, if you do have a colleague who won’t take no for an answer, it may be time for a word with HR. It is never acceptable for a disabled person to be harassed or pressured by a colleague in this way.
5. Keep a healthy routine
No one wants to hear this while shovelling down the mince pies, but maintaining a healthy routine, including eating well and doing regular exercise, is perhaps more important at Christmas than at any other time of year.
Regular exercise is a great way to keep stress levels in check, while eating regular healthy meals will help keep your body balanced. Festive foods are packed full of salt, which can affect hydration, plus sugar and caffeine, which can affect your sleep, not to mention deliver a powerful bout of nighttime indigestion, particularly if you are of a certain age (like me).
And while we are on the topic of maintaining routines, keep taking your meds at the usual time. Taking medication late, or even forgetting it altogether, puts you at an increased risk of a seizure. If you have difficulty remembering when to take your anti-epileptic drugs, set an alert on your phone or write yourself a note, leaving it somewhere easy to find.
6. Take care around Christmas lights
Three to five percent of people living with epilepsy have photosensitive epilepsy, which means their seizures are triggered by flashing or flickering lights and strong visual patterns.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to avoid flashing lights at this time of year, with Christmas lights everywhere you turn. If you have photosensitive epilepsy and find yourself in a situation where you can’t avoid flashing lights, cover one eye with the palm of your hand, as light needs to reach both eyes to trigger a seizure. Turn away from the trigger and, if you can, leave. Don’t close both eyes as this could cause a flicker effect. Epilepsy Action has some great advice on how to deal with photosensitive epilepsy all year round.
Navigating the festive season with epilepsy doesn’t mean missing out on the joy, connection, and celebration this time of year can bring. With a bit of planning, strong boundaries, and a focus on wellbeing, it’s absolutely possible to enjoy the holidays while staying safe and in control of your epilepsy triggers.
Remember: your health comes first, and you deserve to celebrate in ways that support and empower you. Here’s to a festive season that feels good, on your terms.