Why should people with epilepsy keep seizure diaries?

Keeping a seizure diary can be useful to help you record when your seizures happen and to see whether there are any specific triggers for your seizures. Sometimes, known triggers can be avoided to help reduce the number of seizures.

What is a seizure diary?

Seizure diaries, as they are often called, are a way for physicians to get an idea of how many seizures a patient is having between office visits. Depending on how detailed the diary is, it may also give insight into a patient's seizure triggers and medication side effects.

Should you try to hold a person having a seizure still?

You must absolutely not: Hold the person down or attempt to restrain them in any way; this is very dangerous for everyone involved, as a person experiencing a seizure cannot control their movements.

Why shouldn't you hold down someone having a seizure?

Do not hold the person down or try to stop his or her movements. Do not put anything in the person's mouth. This can injure teeth or the jaw. A person having a seizure cannot swallow his or her tongue.

How do you maintain a seizure log?

A paper monthly calendar is good to record how often seizures occur. They can be used to track seizures in relation to time of menstrual cycle (for women) or other triggers that may affect seizures. If a person has more than one type of seizure, they can label seizures by letter to make recording easier.

What should epileptics avoid?

Seizure triggers

• Not taking epilepsy medicine as prescribed.
• Feeling tired and not sleeping well.
• Stress.
• Alcohol and recreational drugs.
• Flashing or flickering lights.
• Monthly periods.
• Missing meals.
• Having an illness which causes a high temperature.

What do you do when someone is having a seizure while sleeping?

First Aid

1. Keep other people out of the way.
2. Clear hard or sharp objects away from the person.
3. Don't try to hold them down or stop the movements.
4. Place them on their side, to help keep their airway clear.
5. Look at your watch at the start of the seizure, to time its length.
6. Don't put anything in their mouth.

Why is it important to time a seizure?

Timing the seizure with a watch is helpful because a brief seizure may seem longer than it really is. Two or more seizures occur together. There are injuries from the seizure. It is the first seizure the person has ever had.

How long can a seizure last before brain damage?

A seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes, or having more than 1 seizure within a 5 minutes period, without returning to a normal level of consciousness between episodes is called status epilepticus. This is a medical emergency that may lead to permanent brain damage or death.

Does epilepsy get worse with age?

The incidence of any type of seizure increases substantially over the age of 60, commonly due to other neurological conditions such as dementia or stroke.

What triggers epilepsy?

Triggers can differ from person to person, but common triggers include tiredness and lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, and not taking medication. For some people, if they know what triggers their seizures, they may be able to avoid these triggers and so lessen the chances of having a seizure.

Are seizures an emergency?

A seizure is considered an emergency when it lasts a long time or when seizures occur close together and the person doesn't recover between seizures. Just like there are different types of seizures, there are also different types of emergencies.

How can seizures be prevented?

10 tips to prevent seizures

1. Take your medication as prescribed. Anti-epileptic medications are designed to help prevent seizures. ...
2. Don't consume alcohol. ...
3. Avoid substance misuse. ...
4. Practice stress management. ...
5. Maintain a sleep schedule. ...
6. Keep a consistent meal schedule. ...
7. Avoid flashing lights. ...
8. Protect yourself from head injuries.

Do people remember seizures?

In focal aware seizures (FAS), previously called simple partial seizures, the person is conscious (aware and alert) and will usually know that something is happening and will remember the seizure afterwards. Some people find their focal aware seizures hard to put into words.

What does a seizure feel like in your head?

You're not likely to lose consciousness, but you might feel sweaty or nauseated. Complex focal seizures: These usually happen in the part of your brain that controls emotion and memory. You may lose consciousness but still look like you're awake, or you may do things like gag, smack your lips, laugh, or cry.

Can you hear during a seizure?

Common symptoms during a seizure.

Periods of forgetfulness or memory lapses. Distracted, daydreaming. Loss of consciousness, unconscious, or “pass out” Unable to hear.

Does epilepsy cause memory loss?

The epilepsy may cause difficulties with being able to store memories. Research has shown that people with epilepsy are prone to forget things more quickly than others.

Do epileptics have visions?

In fact, hallucinations were actually a common symptom of epilepsy. Not only that—some people even enjoyed their seizures, describing them as spiritual or religious experiences.

What are the long term effects of epilepsy?

Long lasting seizures, or status epilepticus, may also cause brain damage or death. People with epilepsy are eight times more likely than people without it to experience certain other chronic conditions, including dementia, migraine, heart disease, and depression.

Is it OK to let someone 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.

Are myoclonic jerks seizures?

Myoclonic epilepsy causes the muscles in the body to contract. This type of seizure causes quick jerking movements. Myoclonic seizures often happen in everyday life. This includes hiccups and a sudden jerk while falling asleep.

How many hours should a person with epilepsy sleep?

People with epilepsy should get adequate sleep - enough to feel refreshed the next day. In general, adults should try for at least 7-8 hours a night. Going to bed late (for example, 3 a.m. instead of 11 p.m.) can be compensated for by sleeping late (10 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.) and thereby avoiding sleep deprivation.

Is epilepsy a disability?

Epilepsy is considered a disability and it has a listing in the Social Security Administration (SSA) Blue Book. For epilepsy to qualify for disability benefits, it must meet the criteria of the Blue Book listing. There are different listings for epilepsy in the Blue Book.

Why do seizures happen at night?

It's believed that sleep seizures are triggered by changes in the electrical activity in your brain during certain stages of sleeping and waking. Nighttime seizures occur most often in the early morning around 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. and occur least often shortly after falling asleep.

Are seizures painful?

In general, the actual experience of having a seizure does not hurt. Pain during seizures is rare . Some types of seizures make you lose consciousness.