Does weather affect epilepsy seizures?

hey everyone...
so I've been tasked with putting together some kind of study for my Mayo Clinic course, and I was thinking maybe I could dive into a deep dive on epilepsy and how weather patterns might play into it... though I haven't even settled on a formal title yet...
what I'm really curious about is what people living with epilepsy actually think about this! like, does anyone feel a genuine connection there?
I volunteer at this local community center, and there’s this guy there—he's about 20—who gets super irritable right before he has a seizure, especially when the weather starts acting up... and it seems like he always ends up having an episode after any big argument or stressful moment... I can't tell if it's just a weird coincidence or if there's something more to it...

anyway, if anyone feels like lending a hand, I'd love the help!
ps. if you think this topic is totally out there or just plain silly, please don't hold back, I'm totally open to hearing some fresh ideas instead 🙂
pps. I was thinking about looking at variables like:
temperature,
barometric pressure,
cloud cover,
comfort index,
wind direction,
and basically comparing a 7-day biometeorological forecast against his mood and behavior... 😉

honestly, it feels like I’m just shouting into the void here and nobody actually wants to lend a hand... 🙂 ..okay, maybe that's not totally fair, I know some of you are out there... PLEASE, ANYONE, jump in and help me out 😁

Perhaps you might consider putting together something on "personality disorders..."—you know, perhaps something along the lines of "psychiatric disorders and their relationship to biometeorological conditions"? I must ask—what exactly is your field of study?

rapidstag70 said:There's this 20-year-old guy who gets incredibly irritable right before a seizure—especially when the weather shifts—and he always seems to have an episode following any major argument or period of intense emotional calming down... could that just be a coincidence?

Oh, my apologies! I didn't realize you had a live subject for study here. It is such a fascinating topic; if he’s willing to participate, you should absolutely go for it. And honestly, it’s likely not a coincidence at all—certain individuals are just far more sensitive to atmospheric changes. You probably won't need to reinvent the wheel, though; there are likely plenty of existing studies on this, so perhaps do a little digging online if you don't have access to academic journals. Isn't it quite extraordinary how much our bodies can react simply due to barometric pressure and such? (I am certainly no expert on the matter, so please do email me your findings once you've finished the paper🙂... just kidding!)

Now, I don't have epilepsy myself—just a mild mood disorder—but I am also what one might call a "weather person." This means it isn't merely psychological for me (the irritability, the hyperactivity, the occasional bouts of euphoria or depression, and that frequent lack of focus...) but I actually experience physical symptoms tied to these bio-meteorological shifts too—joint pain, general fatigue, excessive thirst... and believe me, even a clean diet and regular exercise barely touch the surface of it. Before a storm hits—particularly a heavy downpour—I undergo these intense mood swings where I become completely hyperactive; I feel this overwhelming, desperate *need* to dance, jump, run, clean, cook—anything just to avoid sitting still! The absolute worst part is being stuck in a lecture hall, where I end up just sulking, rolling my eyes, and tapping my foot incessantly under the desk. Then comes the period of winding down, or sometimes even weeping (which I save for home, of course; I haven't quite lost my composure at the university yet, though I know I could easily have a little cry in a fitting room if my mother were trying to pressure me into something...). The most difficult transitions for me are when the weather turns from beautiful to grim, moving from stability to instability—rain, overcast skies (especially when it's so gray that the sun feels entirely lost to us)... 😢 😁 Generally speaking, I am a highly reactive person, and my defense mechanisms are quite pronounced. (Though, when I look at what others endure, I realize my struggles aren't the worst; there are people dealing with truly harrowing symptoms.)

In principle, after stressful situations that a particular individual might find particularly difficult to "digest," it is very common to see an exacerbation—that is to say, a much more intense manifestation—of their symptoms.

Man, I’m having such a hard time digging up anything useful on this topic online... there’s just so little out there regarding biometeorology in general. Most of what I find basically just says it’s this emerging field in (both research and practical) Mayo Clinic settings, but it’s still pretty much uncharted territory
😉

coppergardener said:right before a storm hits (especially right before a massive downpour), my mood just goes totally haywire... I get this crazy burst of hyperactivity where I feel like I simply, absolutely haaaaave to dance, jump, run, cook, clean... just anything to keep from sitting still. It’s the absolute worst when I’m stuck in a lecture because I can't stop fidgeting, rolling my eyes, or tapping my foot under the desk. Then, after that peak, I either crash or just start crying. The hardest shifts for me are when the weather turns from beautiful to nasty, you know? Like moving from stable skies to unstable ones, rain, and heavy clouds—especially when it gets so gray you can't even see the sun... 😢 .

It’s honestly so wild hearing how it affects you though... for me, whenever it gets gloomy outside, I just feel gloomy too... but wow, you are the complete polar opposite of me... I’m usually just that hyperactive type all the time anyway... 😁

PS. Thanks so much for the reply 🙂
PPS. If you want, I don't mind sending over what I've written once it's finished... 🙂

rapidstag70 said:Personally, I always feel like my mood just sinks right along with a cloudy sky... but you? You seem to be my complete polar opposite! I tend to be quite high-energy—always bouncing around, really—even when the weather is gray..

Even when things get gloomy here, it’s so unpredictable... I can never quite pin it down 😁. I haven't fully wrapped my head around why it happens, but usually, it's just a dull ache if it stays overcast and monotonous all day long. However, when there's a sudden shift—you know, when a storm starts "brewing" or building up tension in the air—then...🎉 🙂 😂 🤣 🙂 well 🙂 ☕ 🙂 ...and so on.

I find the whole thing rather fascinating, though I don't have much spare time to dive deep into it myself—but if I happen to stumble upon something interesting, I'll certainly send some links your way. Regarding this sensitivity to weather, there isn't a massive amount of literature specifically on "meteoropathy," but if you search for "seasonal affective disorder," you'll find plenty of compelling information—even if it isn't an exact match for what you're looking for.

you're welcome 😁

http://ags.ou.edu/%7eisb/home.htmlhttp://ags.ou.edu/%7eisb/home.html

http://personales.unican.es/fernandhp/chc/index.htmhttp://personales.unican.es/fernandhp/chc/index.htm

🙂there isn't really much here... honestly, everyone just keeps harping on about how climate change messes with people's behavior... but nobody ever dives into the actual "why"... and absolutely nobody, I mean zero people, is even touching on things like cognitive disabilities or epilepsy...🤷 which is kind of exactly what I'm looking for right now... man...

thanks for the link

I guess the variables would be these:
temperature, effects
air pressure, effects
cloud cover, very minimal
comfort level, only if it hits you suddenly; otherwise, probably not
wind direction - doesn't really matter

That's how it works for me, since I have epilepsy.
Anything that triggers stress can cause a seizure.
But what actually counts as stress?
If you could just eliminate all stress, the epilepsy and everything else might just vanish.
But why would anyone want to get rid of stress entirely?
Stress can show up even when you get an unexpected birthday gift from a friend. That's still a stressor.
So, you shouldn't try to kill off all stress, because then you wouldn't have any happy moments either.
Which one is more beautiful?
Watching the sun slowly rise, or having it suddenly break through the clouds?

Arthur Moore8 said:ps. if we are looking at variables, they would likely be these:
temperature—has an impact
air pressure—has an impact
cloud cover—very minimal impact
comfort level—only if it hits you all at once; otherwise, not really
wind direction—no impact at all

Personally, I find cloud cover causes far more issues than the temperature does—though, granted, I don't quite fit the profile here.🙂.

And what about humidity? Should we include that in the mix as well?

coppergardener said:For me, the cloud cover causes way more issues than the actual temp. (Though I don't really fit the profile🙂.)

What about humidity? Should we include that too?

Humidity?
Nah, probably nothing much. I guess it just creeps up slowly anyway, so no big deal.

Arthur Moore8 said:That’s basically how it goes for me dealing with epilepsy...
Anything that cranks up my stress levels just triggers a seizure.
But what even counts as stress, you know?
I feel like if I could just get rid of all the pressure, the epilepsy would just vanish too...

I don't really see eye to eye with you on the whole idea that getting rid of stress makes the epilepsy disappear...🤔 I mean, sure, stress plays a massive role in triggering things or making various health issues way worse, but the root cause of epilepsy isn't just stress, it's more about the "hyperexcitability" of the cerebral cortex cells and stuff like that...
Stress is definitely a much bigger deal when you're talking about autoimmune stuff, like lupus or whatever...
So, what kind of epilepsy are you actually dealing with? That guy I'm supposed to do a seminar project with has this really weird version that I can't quite pin down... it’s not absence seizures, because he doesn't just drift off, he actually collapses, but it's not a grand mal either since he doesn't go through those specific tonic-clonic stages, and since he struggles with some cognitive delays, I feel a bit awkward asking him...😕

Here’s my list:
temperature - nope
air pressure - yeah
cloud cover - if you're looking for rain—but when exactly?
comfort index - nah
wind direction - No
humidity - nope

Same here!
And I honestly think stress plays a huge part. Even though my doctor says stress doesn't trigger epilepsy, I've got plenty of proof it does for me!
👍

Dennis Sanchez84 said:I honestly feel like stress plays a massive role in my case, even though my doctor keeps insisting that stress doesn't actually trigger epilepsy, but I've got plenty of firsthand proof that for me, it definitely does!
👍

🙂 I was just repeating what we were taught in school and stuff... but you know, I'm changing my tune here, because I think people living with this actually know way more than some dusty old textbook ever could! At the end of the day, you're the expert on your own body and what triggers your seizures, right?!
I really used to be convinced that the weather and the changing seasons had such a huge impact on attacks too... but now I'm second-guessing myself... maybe I should just pick a different topic altogether?!🤷