According to a 2012 study published in the
European Journal of Epilepsy, over a third of patients admitted to the Johns Hopkins in-patient
epilepsy unit actually have psychogenic, rather than epileptic seizures, reports
Forbes.
This means you can suffer a seizure because of emotional
stress and not as a result of abnormal electrical activity in your brain which is the case with
epilepsy.
But you can avoid seizures if you know how to pin-point the signs of emotional
stress and deal with them early.
Five symptoms of emotional stress you must NEVER ignore
#1: Sleep disturbances. If you’re
sleep more than usual or less than usual. Or if you can’t fall asleep or wake up after only a few hours and can’t go back to
sleep, you’re stressed.
“If you have recurring disturbances of
sleep more than once or twice a week and there are no physical reasons your doctor can identify, your problem may be linked to a psychological problem, most commonly,
anxiety or
depression,” says
WebMD.
#2: Dramatic weight fluctuations and changes in eating patterns. If you’ve gained or lost a significant amount of weight without any changes to your diet or exercise regime or find yourself constantly thinking about food or grossed out by the thought of eating, it could be a sign of emotional stress.
#3: Unexplained physical symptoms. If, despite a complete workout and even a visit to a specialist or two, no one can find a reason behind your physical complaints, it may be your body’s way of letting you know your mind is in distress.
#4: Compulsive or obsessive behaviors. Are you washing your hands more often or feel a need to do so even without no logical reason? Has the fun gone out of life because you’re constantly worrying something bad is going to happen? Does it take you an hour or more to leave your home because you’re bogged down with a series of ‘rituals’ like touching things or rechecking locks, the stove, the iron? If so, you may have more
anxiety in your life than you can handle alone.
“Obsessions are repetitive thoughts which resemble worry and are accompanied by anxiety. Compulsions are behavioral acts designed to eliminate the obsessions. And sometimes if your mind becomes so cluttered with obsessions and your day so filled with compulsions, life as you know becomes completely taken over by anxiety and counterproductive rituals,” says
WebMD.
#5: Chronic, tiredness and lack of energy. When your body can’t handle emotional overload, it simply shuts down. And that’s why you’ll often feel tired when you’re stressed.
If any of these signs ring true for you, talk to your doctor immediately before it gets worse.