Seizure Warning Signs: What Happens Before A Seizure?
Seizure warning signs can be easy to miss, especially the first time they happen. Recognizing what happens before a seizure, sometimes called an aura, gives you or someone you are caring for a chance to get to a safe place and get help started sooner.
Quick Answer
Warning signs before a seizure, sometimes called an aura, can include sudden fear or confusion, a racing heartbeat, dizziness, unusual smells or tastes, and vision changes. Signs vary by person and are not always present. Tracking and sharing any pattern with a doctor helps confirm what is happening and how to respond safely.
What Is a Seizure?
A seizure happens when there is a sudden, temporary electrical disturbance in the brain. Seizures are unpredictable and usually last from a few seconds to a few minutes, though their type and severity vary widely from person to person. Epilepsy is the most common cause, but a seizure can also result from stroke, lack of sleep, low blood sodium, a head injury, or a high fever from an infection. In many cases, the exact cause is never identified.
Seizures in Older Adults
Seizure onset is most common in childhood and again after age 65. In older adults, stroke is the leading cause of a new-onset seizure. Alzheimer’s disease and falls can also play a role, and because seizure symptoms can look similar to confusion or disorientation, they are sometimes mistaken for dementia rather than recognized as a seizure.
What Are the Warning Signs of Seizures?
Some people experience an “aura”, or warning, before a seizure. It’s considered to be the first symptom of a seizure. An aura is often described as a change in feeling, sensation, thought, or behavior. If you have more than one seizure, you might have a similar aura each time. Other warning signs of seizures include:
Changes in Your Thoughts or Feelings
- Strange, negative, or scary feelings, like fear or panic
- Odd, indescribable feelings
- Racing thoughts
- Thinking your body looks or feels different
- Out-of-body sensations
- Daydreaming episodes
Changes in the Body
- Feeling hot, cold or sweaty
- Looking pale or flushed
- Elevated heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
- Nausea
Changes in the Senses
- Headache or body pain
- Numbness, tingling or feeling like an electric shock sensation in your body
- Unusual smells, sounds, or tastes
- Vision loss, blurry vision
- Unexplained confusion or feeling “spacey”
- Hearing loss
- Unusual tastes or smells
- Falling
What to Do if You Have Seizure Warning Signs
If you are experiencing any warning signs of seizures, it’s important to keep a log of what symptoms occur, noting the time of day along with the date. It’s also a good idea to note how any medications, especially new ones, affect these symptoms. Keep track of any seizure triggers as well, such as days you didn’t get enough sleep, were stressed or drank alcohol.
Share this information regularly with your doctor or medical team. Ask if the symptoms are actually seizures, and find out whether any follow-up testing is required.
As you get to know your own seizure warning signs, use this information to help you prepare and stay safe. At the onset of symptoms, get yourself into a safe place, get in contact with a trusted family member or friend to let them know what’s going on, and follow your seizure action plans, such as taking prescribed medications or other intervention measures.
Talk It Through: Questions for Your Next Appointment
- Could these symptoms be a seizure, or something else?
- Should I keep a log, and what details are most useful to track?
- What should I do differently if a warning sign happens again?
- Is there a seizure action plan I should have in place?
Are There Seizure Alert Devices?
A medical alert system, also known as a personal emergency response system (PERS), can act as a seizure alert device to help you contact 9-1-1 and your loved ones if you are having a seizure or are experiencing seizure symptoms.
Since falls can be both a symptom and a cause of seizures, look for a model with built-in fall detection technology, which can sense a fall and contact an emergency operator instantly, even when you’re unable to do so on your own.
These devices can also be used at the onset of seizure warning signs, to alert your family and get in touch with emergency dispatch at the touch of a button.
Another feature to look for is GPS functionality, which works to identify your location even when you’re not at home, so you can get 24/7 help wherever you are.
Having a medical alert device can make for a more comprehensive seizure action plan, and can help you feel more secure, no matter when or where seizure warning signs hit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an aura before a seizure?
An aura is the term for an early warning sign some people experience before a seizure, such as a sudden feeling, sensation, or change in thought. Not everyone has a noticeable aura.
Are seizure warning signs the same for everyone?
No. Warning signs vary widely from person to person, and some people have no noticeable signs at all before a seizure begins.
Can stress or lack of sleep trigger a seizure?
Yes, for some people. Poor sleep, high stress, and alcohol use are commonly reported triggers, which is why tracking patterns and sharing them with a doctor is useful.
Should every new symptom be reported to a doctor?
Any new or unexplained symptom that could be a seizure warning sign is worth discussing with a doctor, especially if it happens more than once.
How can a medical alert device help during a seizure?
A medical alert device can connect someone to help quickly if a seizure causes a fall or makes it hard to reach a phone. No fall detection technology detects 100 percent of falls, so pressing the button is still the most reliable way to get help.