What to Know About Seizures and How to Help Someone Having One

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March 23, 2026 | Tags: Wellness

Seizures can appear suddenly, turning an ordinary moment into something confusing. Even though they may feel alarming, learning the basics about seizures can help you take steps to make them feel more manageable and help you feel more prepared if you witness or experience one. 

What is a seizure? 

A seizure is a sudden, temporary burst of electrical activity in the brain. Think of it like a traffic light glitching and sending mixed signals. While seizures aren’t categorized as a “brain injury” like a concussion, they can cause brain damage. Seizures can be caused by many different health conditions, such as: 

  • Epilepsy
  • Stroke
  • Brain tumor
  • Aneurysm
  • Diabetes
  • Infections, like encephalitis or sepsis 

Seizures are common, with one in 10 people experiencing at least one in their lifetime. Seizures can take an emotional toll, and people who have experienced seizures may feel anxious, embarrassed or hesitant to do the things they love for fear of having another episode. 

What are common triggers of seizures? 

If you or someone you know has seizures regularly, keeping track of activities leading up to the seizure can help determine a possible trigger. Triggers for a seizure can include:  

  • Flashing or flickering lights 
  • Blood sugar levels, low or very high 
  • Lack of sleep 
  • Stress 
  • Heat illness, like heat stroke or heat exhaustion 
  • Using certain medications or missing doses 
  • Substance use, including alcohol withdrawal 

Anyone can have a seizure, but certain factors can also increase your risk, such as: 

  • Being younger than 18. 
  • Being older than 50. 
  • Having an underlying medical condition, like Alzheimer’s disease. 
  • Having a biological family history of seizures. 

What are the symptoms of a seizure? 

Seizures don't always look like what you expect. Seizure symptoms can look like the following: 

  • Loss of consciousness  
  • Staring off into space 
  • Confusion  
  • Teeth clenching  
  • Drooling 
  • Uncontrollable movements – convulsions, muscle spasms, jerking 
  • Abnormal eye movements 
  • Loss of bladder or bowel control 
  • Noise making (grunting or snorting) 

Are there warning signs of a seizure? 

Warning signs can help you and others notice a seizure before it happens. While not everyone experiences them before a seizure occurs, knowing the following signs can help keep you and others safe: 

  • Sensory changes: May involve seeing bright lights or objects appearing distorted, hearing unexpected sounds, experiencing sudden changes to taste or smells or feelings of numbness or tingling on skin. 
  • Emotional changes: Can show up as strong emotions, like joy or fear, or moments when things feel strangely familiar (déjá vu) or unexpectedly unfamiliar (jamais vu). 
  • Autonomic changes: May affect the functions your body controls on its own, like sweating, drooling, having an upset stomach or pale skin. 

What are the phases of a seizure? 

Similar to the stages a migraine has leading up to, during and after an episode, seizures can follow their own set of patterns. Seizure phases can look like the following: 

  • Prodromal phase (prodrome): Early signs that start hours or even days before a seizure occurs. A person may notice changes to their mood or behavior, feel lightheaded, have trouble focusing or sleep issues.  
  • Aura phase: Can begin right before the first seizure symptoms start, but not everyone will experience it. Includes vision loss or blurring, headaches and dizziness, nausea, strong feelings of anger, fear, joy or sadness as well as changes to your other senses, like taste, smell and sound. 
  • Ictal Phase: The phase when a seizure occurs and you experience symptoms.  
  • Postictal phase: The phase immediately following a seizure. You may experience feelings of confusion, exhaustion and soreness. Strong emotions, including sadness, embarrassment and general malaise can also linger. 

What to do if someone has a seizure 

Seizures can be scary to witness. If someone is having a seizure, keep yourself and others calm. This helps you create a safe environment to focus on steps that protect them until the seizure ends: 

  • Stay with the person having a seizure. 
  • Remove any hazards nearby. 
  • Do not restrain the person or put anything in their mouth.   
  • If the person is lying down, turn them gently on their side with their mouth pointing toward the ground to keep the airway clear and cushion their head. 
  • Time the seizure. 
  • Check for a medical bracelet for information about any medical conditions, medicines and emergency contact. 

Call 911 if the person having the seizure: 

  • Has trouble breathing. 
  • Does not wake up after or fully between multiple episodes. 
  • Becomes injured during it. 
  • Has never had a seizure before. 
  • Has diabetes and loses consciousness. 
  • Is pregnant. 

Also call emergency services if the seizure: 

  • Lasts longer than five minutes. 
  • Happens in water. 
  • Starts again soon after the first one ends. 

How to talk to your doctor about seizures 

Seizures are not something a person can control, but you can talk to your primary care provider (PCP) about symptoms, risks and triggers and what to do if you or someone you know experiences one. Need help finding a PCP? Medical Mutual can help. Use our Find a Provider tool on My Health Plan to find one in your plan’s network or call the Customer Care number listed on your member ID card. 

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