Introduction
Understanding your epilepsy, beyond seizures, will help you make informed decisions about your lifestyle and implement any changes needed to reduce risks and provide you with a good quality of life. It will also help you better communicate your needs to the important people in your life.
We cover a range of topics and issues in this section, from coming to terms with your diagnosis and talking about your epilepsy with others through to how your epilepsy might affect or be affected by sleep, stress and memory. There is also plenty of information about epilepsy in relation to different areas of life, including physical activity, travel, transport, and relationships.
You might not be a person living with epilepsy; you might be a concerned family member, friend, employer or carer. Whatever your situation, we hope the information in this section will be useful to you in understanding and supporting a person living with epilepsy.
Client stories
At Epilepsy New Zealand, we service the needs of people of all ages, and from all walks of life, who...
Just Diagnosed
If you have just been diagnosed with epilepsy, you have probably undergone a number of tests and con...
Talking about your Epilepsy
Talking about your epilepsy with others can feel difficult at first, although it doesn’t always have...
Medication Management
Epilepsy treatments are diverse, ranging from first-line treatments such as Anti-Seizure Medications...
Sleep
Relationship between sleep and seizures The relationship between epilepsy and sleep is complex. Ther...
Stress
Researchers are still unsure if and how stress reduction techniques could reduce seizure activity. H...
Memory
There are two types of memories that we make– short-term memories and long-term memories. Our short...
Driving
National driving guidelines-Waka Kotahi has been developed to assist with the assessment of applicat...
Physical Activity and Leisure
Epilepsy and Exercise There are many reasons why exercise helps people with epilepsy live a healthy ...
Transport and Travel
It is important for all people living with epilepsy to consider risks and implement appropriate safe...
International and Domestic Travel
When travelling, whether it is in New Zealand or overseas, there are a number of matters to conside...