As people living with epilepsy, no matter if we are living on our own or with others, a key thing is making sure that our homes are safe, which includes our bedroom. To find out more about the ways I keep my bedroom safer for my type of seizures, please see below:
I find that my bedroom is typically a relatively safe room compared to other rooms of my house (like my bathroom or my kitchen) but there are still some things that can be a real hazard for me if I were to have a seizure.
My main concerns in my bedroom are my bed (as I could fall from the bed if I were to have a seizure), my other furniture (as I could hit them or knock them over if I were to have a seizure), my bedroom floor (as I could trip on items left on my floor if I were to wander during a seizure) and padding (as I could injure myself on hard floors or the sharp edges of furniture).
My Bed: I position my bed away from the wall and away from hazards like radiators or heaters and other furniture. This helps because if I were to have a seizure in bed, I won’t hit my head against the wall or other hazards. I also keep my bed closer to the ground and lessen the impact if I were to fall out of my bed due to seizure. Finally, I use a seizure alert device and avoid purchasing bed frames with hard or sharp edges.
My Other Furniture: I keep my nightstand and other furniture (like my desk) clear of any items that could break and cause injury to me if I were to have a seizure and hit the furniture. I always keep a cup of water on my nightstand in case I get thirsty in the middle of the night, but I always ensure that I use a plastic cup instead of one made out of glass and I use a cup that has a lid so that no water spills on the floor.
My Bedroom Floor: I try to keep my bedroom floor low on clutter and mess as much as possible. Sometimes, with my focal seizures, I may wander around and I could walk into clutter or trip on it and cause injury to myself.
Padding: I have placed foam gym mats that I found at Wal-Mart on the floor around my bed as extra padding to ensure that if I do end up falling out of bed during a seizure, I will do as little damage to myself as possible. I also have looked into cushioned bed rails for my bed and padding for the sharp corners of some of my bedroom furniture to prevent injury if I were to fall during a seizure.
As you can see, my simple small changes to my bedroom really help to keep it a safe sanctuary for me. How do you keep your bedroom safe? Let me know by emailing me at impactspeaker@bcepilepsy.com!
For more information on safety and epilepsy, please check out a BC Epilepsy Society Information Sheet on the subject here.
Christine Jamieson is Miss Canada 2019, Miss British Columbia 2018/2019, and a person living with epilepsy who works for the BC Epilepsy Society as an Impact Speaker. Christine believes in impacting the world for the better and is a strong advocate for epilepsy and mental health.