A Person Can Act Confused or Look Like They Are Daydreaming During a Seizure

Woman moving man into the recovery position potentially after a seizure.

What to do when someone has a seizure

Blog postal service | 14 November 2018

Epilepsy — a common neurological disorder characterised past recurrent seizures — affects about 250,000 Australians and millions more than worldwide. It tin can bear on a person of any age, gender or background.

So, it's pretty likely that you already know someone living with epilepsy.

Simply not all seizures are caused past epilepsy, then yous may notwithstanding run across someone having a seizure at some point in your lifetime.

Here's what you need to know about seizures (sometimes chosen a 'fit', or convulsions), and what to practise when someone has one.

What causes a seizure?

Yes, seizures can exist caused by epilepsy simply there are other causes, including very depression blood sugar, high fever, head injury or recreational drugs, for case.

The encephalon controls everything you do by sending messages — like lilliputian electrical signals — to and from your torso to make yous move, feel, call up or react.

A seizure occurs when the brain cells send mixed-upwardly messages, which stops a person'due south body from working properly for a short fourth dimension. There are many types of seizure; here are iii common ones:

Tonic clonic seizure

The person suddenly loses consciousness (or, 'blacks out') then becomes potent all over and their body makes jerking movements. When the seizure is over, they may be confused, sore and fatigued. This tin exist quite sorry or frightening for someone who has never witnessed a seizure before.

Focal seizure

The person might exist confused or look like they're sleepwalking. They might do foreign things, brand foreign sounds or repeat movements over and over. This type of seizure can vary a lot between individuals.

Absence seizure

Seen in children more than in adults, absence seizures tin can be short and look similar heedless. The person will suddenly stop what they're doing and stare for a few seconds. They won't remember annihilation that happens during the seizure and information technology can occur several times a day.

What to do if someone has a seizure

Remember these tips if you are with someone when they have a seizure.

Stay calm.
Continue the person safe — move anything abroad that is sharp or hard that could cause injury.
Only movement the person if they are in danger (east.yard. on a road or hot concrete). You might need help with this.
Put something soft under the person's head, if you can.
Time the seizure — or estimate the time if you don't take a watch or telephone.
Do non try to concur the person downward.
Do non put anything in the person'south mouth.
Later on a seizure, if the person is on the ground, ringlet them onto their side in the recovery position.
Stay with the person after the seizure stops. Don't wake them up but practice check their breathing. Talk to them one time they're awake.
In most cases, you lot do not need to call an ambulance. However, practice call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance if:

you are unsure about annihilation
the seizure happens in water
the person is injured
the person has diabetes or is significant
the seizure lasts longer than five minutes
the person is unresponsive for more than five minutes afterwards the seizure stops
they have another seizure
the person can't breathe properly
you believe this is the first seizure they've always had

For more information

Tuesday March 26 is Purple 24-hour interval, a global initiative dedicated to raising epilepsy awareness. If you'd like to know how you tin can get involved or acquire more about this common condition, visit Epilepsy Action Australia or the Epilepsy Foundation.