Are you conscious during a seizure?

You might be aware of sensations that occur during the seizure. A generalized seizure

generalized seizure

When they occur throughout the whole brain, it's known as a generalized seizure. These seizures cause symptoms in the entire body. This type of epilepsy was previously known as generalized convulsive epilepsy. A generalized seizure may also be known as a generalized tonic-clonic seizure or a grand mal seizure.

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Epilepsy with Generalized Seizures: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

involves both sides of the brain. In most cases, you lose consciousness. You likely won't be aware of sensations during the seizure.

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.

Is having a seizure 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.

Can you feel a seizure coming on?

Prodrome: Some people may experience feelings, sensations, or changes in behavior hours or days before a seizure. These feelings are generally not part of the seizure, but may warn a person that a seizure may come.

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

How do I know if I had a seizure?

Can you have a seizure and not lose consciousness?

Simple focal seizures, also known as auras, occur in one area on one side of the brain, but may spread from there. The person does not lose consciousness during a simple focal 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.

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.

Can you talk through a seizure?

Patients with simple partial seizures remain awake and aware throughout the seizure, and some patients can even talk during the episode.

Can you fight off a seizure?

In cases where the aura is a smell, some people are able to fight off seizures by sniffing a strong odor, such as garlic or roses. When the preliminary signs include depression, irritability, or headache, an extra dose of medication (with a doctor's approval) may help prevent an attack.

How long is a person unconscious after a seizure?

Loss of consciousness occurs, and the muscles suddenly contract and cause the person to fall down. This phase tends to last about 10 to 20 seconds.

How long does it take to become conscious after a seizure?

As far as we know, this is the first study to prospectively investigate recovery time after epileptic seizures in children. Most children regain consciousness within 30–40 min, although some take many hours, without sinister cause.

Do all seizures make a person unconscious?

Generalized seizures should invariably cause loss of consciousness if they truly involve the whole brain. Interestingly, however, this is not the case. Consciousness is spared in several types of generalized seizures (Gokygit and Caliskan, 1995; Bell et al., 1997; Vuilleumier et al., 2000).

What are the 3 main phases of a seizure?

Seizures take on many different forms and have a beginning (prodrome and aura), middle (ictal) and end (post-ictal) stage.

Can a seizure wake you up from sleep?

Nocturnal seizures are seizures that happen while a person is asleep. They can cause unusual nighttime behavior, such as waking for no reason or urinating while sleeping, as well as jerking and shaking of the body. Nocturnal seizures are usually a type of seizure called a tonic-clonic seizure.

What happens to your body during a seizure?

Normally, the billions of neurons or nerve cells in the brain fire off electrical impulses individually, allowing the neurons to communicate with each other to help your body function appropriately. In a seizure, those neurons all fire off at the same time, creating abnormal electrical activity.

Do people breathe while having 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.

Will I ever get memory back after seizure?

You may have difficulty remembering information straight after a seizure. This is sometimes called post-ictal confusion and it usually goes away once you have recovered. The length of time it takes for memory to return to normal can vary from person to person.

What happens to your brain during a seizure?

During a seizure, there is a sudden intense burst of electricity that disrupts how the brain usually works. This activity can happen on one small part of the brain and last for just a couple of seconds, or it can spread right across the brain and keep going for many minutes.

Why do you bite your tongue during a seizure?

Nighttime seizures are a common cause of tongue biting. Those with epilepsy lose control of their bodies during a seizure. This may cause them to unconsciously bite down on their tongue. Usually, bites occur on the tip and sides of the tongue.

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.

What do you smell before you have a seizure?

The brain belongs to one of Penfield's patients, a Canadian woman with epilepsy who said she smelled burnt toast before having seizures.

What are the 4 types of seizures?

What does a person having a seizure look like?

A person having a seizure may seem confused or look like they are staring at something that isn't there. Other seizures can cause a person to fall, shake, and become unaware of what's going on around them.