Are you aware during a seizure?

Beginning: Some people are aware of the beginning of a seizure, possibly as much as hours or days before it happens. On the other hand, some people may not be aware of the beginning and therefore have no warning.

Can a person be aware during a seizure?

Focal aware seizures (also called focal onset aware or simple partial seizures) is a seizure that happens while a person is awake and alert and aware of what is going on. During the seizure, the person may have movements, feelings, or sensations that are out of their control. They usually last less than 2 minutes.

Can you be awake and aware during a seizure?

When people have focal aware seizures, they are fully awake, alert, and able to recall events during the seizure. Some are "frozen" during the seizure, so they may or may not be able to respond to others during the seizures. Overall, these seizures are brief, usually lasting less than 2 minutes.

What does having a seizure feel like?

A staring spell. Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs. Loss of consciousness or awareness. Cognitive or emotional symptoms, such as fear, anxiety or deja vu.

Do you know what's happening when you have a seizure?

Seizures are caused by chemical changes in your body that affect the way your nerve cells talk to one another. This leads to sudden electrical activity inside your brain that can last a few seconds or several minutes. While there are many different types of seizures, they often follow the same pattern.

How to Help if Someone has a Focal Seizure - Epilepsy Action Employer Toolkit

Are seizures painful?

Generally, the experience of having a seizure does not hurt. That's because some seizures cause unconsciousness, so you're unaware of what is happening. However, you might have a headache before or after a seizure.

What does a mini seizure feel like?

Absence (or petit mal) seizures: You seem disconnected from others around you and don't respond to them. You may stare blankly into space, and your eyes might roll back in your head. They usually last only a few seconds, and you may not remember having one.

How does a person feel after a seizure?

During the postictal period, you may be sleepy. You may have problems with vision or speech, and may have a bad headache, fatigue, or body aches. Not all of these phases occur in everyone with this type of seizure.

Are seizures scary?

When most people think of seizures, they think of someone unconscious and convulsing. This type of seizure – known as a grand mal seizure – is the kind of seizure portrayed often in television and movies, and it's not hard to figure out why: It looks dramatic and scary.

What triggers a seizure?

Fever, the physical stress of being sick, and dehydration (from not drinking or eating normally, or from vomiting) can all bring on seizures. It can also be hard to get a good night's sleep while sick, and lack of sleep can be a trigger. Plus, some of the medications used to treat these ailments may be triggers.

What is an unknown seizure?

When the beginning of a seizure is not known, it's now called an unknown onset seizure. A seizure could also be called an unknown onset if it's not witnessed or seen by anyone, for example when seizures happen at night or in a person who lives alone.

What seizures look like?

Seizures symptoms vary and can include a sudden change in awareness or full loss of consciousness, unusual sensations or thoughts, involuntary twitching or stiffness in the body or severe stiffening and limb shaking with loss of consciousness (a convulsion.)

What do you feel like before a seizure?

Seizure warning signs before the first 'full-blown' seizures

These warning signs may include feeling “funny” or dizzy, or having jerking and twitching for several years. Other signs include fainting, headaches, vomiting, losing sensation in a certain parts of the body, daydreaming, and blackouts.

Can you survive a seizure alone?

By taking care of your overall well-being and making lifestyle changes to lower the risk of seizure, you can live safely and independently with epilepsy.

Can you survive a seizure?

Some people eventually outgrow seizures, or go years in between seizures. The key to managing attacks is understanding your risk and taking steps to avoid common triggers. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, with treatment, nearly 6 out of 10 people living with epilepsy will become seizure-free within a few years .

How long do you feel strange after a seizure?

More than 70% of people with epilepsy report post-ictal (after-seizure) complications, including confusion, fear, exhaustion, headache, emotional reactivity, memory problems and behavioral changes. Some last an hour; others can last for days.

Is it OK to sleep after a seizure?

Yes, let him sleep. When he has the seizure make sure he is on the floor where he will not injury himself. If he has been sick and has a lot of mucus make sure he is on his side so that the mucus and saliva does not choke him. Also time the seizure, anything over five minutes call the emt.

Is there brain damage after a seizure?

These studies have shown that certain populations of brain cells may die after single or repeated brief seizures. Molecular signals inside nerve cells lead to their death. Researchers have identified many of the chemical pathways where this occurs.

What causes seizures in adults out of nowhere?

Seizures in adults with no seizure history can be caused by a number of factors ranging from high blood pressure, drug abuse and toxic exposures to brain injury, brain infection (encephalitis) and heart disease.

Can anxiety cause seizures?

However, according to research on the experiences of people with seizures, stress and anxiety can trigger seizures, and current research often underestimates the role they may play. Lack of sleep is a common trigger for seizures, and this can often happen in people who are experiencing overwhelming stress.

What do focal aware seizures feel like?

During a focal aware seizure, you might experience: a general strange feeling. stiffness or twitching in a part of the body, such as an arm or hand. feeling like events have happened before (déjà vu)

Why do lips turn blue during seizure?

Yes, people usually turn blue or red or purple (cyanosis) during a tonic-clonic seizure. This reflects the anoxia that is present (lack of oxygen). This anoxia acts as a stimulus to restart the breathing and needs no human intervention.

Can you breathe during a seizure?

During a tonic-clonic or grand mal seizure (think convulsive seizure), it may look like the person has stopped breathing. This is because the chest muscles tighten during the tonic or “stiffening” part of seizure. The person will usually start breathing on his or her own after the seizure.

What is happening during a seizure?

During a seizure, your brain's normal electrical activity gets disrupted. Nearby groups of neurons activate in a coordinated pattern, creating a surge of activity that might be located in one area of the brain. This scrambles the 'messages' that the brain sends out to the rest of the body.

Are you conscious during absence seizures?

Absence seizures involve brief, sudden lapses of consciousness. They're more common in children than in adults. Someone having an absence seizure may look like he or she is staring blankly into space for a few seconds. Then, there is a quick return to a normal level of alertness.