A seizure is defined as an abrupt and uncontrollable electrical disturbance in a person’s brain. When you have a seizure the physical symptoms can include loss of consciousness, uncontrolled body shakes, and convulsions. The mental symptoms are harder for other people to see. Those symptoms include confusion and memory loss. Many people report that they can feel a seizure coming on. They become very hot or very cold, they have issues with their speech like slurring words or begin using non-sensical words, they have a funny taste in their mouth, and blurry vision.
Others have described more general signs saying they just don’t feel well or they feel funny. If someone suffers from seizures, then knowing what these early signs are can be very important. The person will be able to get themselves to a safe place. If you or someone with you is having a seizure lower them to the ground gently. Remove anything in the area that could cause harm if it came in contact with the person seizing. Place something soft under their head. Get out of the way. Trying to restain a person is unsafe for both of you. Call for help and stay with the person until the episode is over. There are many triggers that can bring on a seizure. Here we will discuss the cause of the six most common triggers.
1. Missing Medication
It is very common for people to miss a single dose of their medication once in a while, and often nothing bad happens. But that doesn’t mean it is safe to miss a dose. You can have a seizure from missing one dose of medicine. They call these breakthrough seizures. If you take your medication only once per day then you are even more susceptible to having a breakthrough seizure. Sometimes it isn’t that the patient hasn’t taken the medicine because of forgetfulness. They might have trouble getting it from the pharmacy. If this is the case, then keeping an emergency supply is a necessity.
2. Lack of Sleep
Lack of sleep is a can be a huge trigger. Some people have their first and only seizure after pulling an “all-nighter”. Sleep causes seizures in a few different ways and it is not a one size fits all. When you sleep, there are normal changes in the brain’s electrical activity. This is one reason many people have seizures when they sleep. On the other hand, lack of sleep can stress your brain and increase the risk. Keeping a sleep log or a journal to track your sleep might be a good way to watch patterns and find the magic number for you to avoid having a seizure.
3. Alcohol
Drinking alcohol in small doses over a long period time should not cause seizures. The problem often is when people binge drink. The alcohol itself doesn’t directly cause a seizure, but the withdrawal from the alcohol does by. Alcohol affects how the brain works and your brain is hyper-alert because it is keeping you awake. When you withdrawal your brain hasn’t adjusted yet and is still in that hyperactive state which can cause a seizure. Moderate to heavy alcohol use is not recommended. Alcohol can also interfere with medications and cause an interaction. Driving while intoxicated is dangerous, but add the risk of a seizure to that and you are creating a dangerous situation for you and everyone else on the roads.
4. Flashing Lights
Flashing lights can trigger a seizure, but it is not fully understood why. This is a hard topic to research because you would have to put a person in the position to look at flashing light to see if it triggers a seizure and seizures can be deadly, so you would be putting the person at risk. Researchers believe that the imagery of flashing lights, striped patterns and other causes of photosensitivity is because causes the brain to have abnormal electrical activity. How bright a light tends to be a trigger followed by the how fast the flashing is. The colors red and blue have been tied to seizures for over 100 years.
5. Music / Loud Noises
Similar to the flashing lights, music and loud noises can cause a person to have a seizure. This type of trigger is very difficult to research and understand. The short definition is that the sound causes over stimulation to the nerves in the brain. Loud noises, a certain type of music, a certain song, a bell, and a phone ringing can cause a person to have a seizure. This type of trigger is very specific to the individual. Some patients have found success with conditional behavioral therapy, so they are able to hear the sound without it causing a problem.
6. Drugs
Recreational drugs can affect the brain in many different ways. They can also interact with a medication. Amphetamines are stimulants to the brain. Abuse of them or similar drugs like Ecstacy can cause sleep deprivation, confusion, and psychiatric disorders. All of these can bring on a seizure, but also they are likely to cause the patient to forget their medication. Marijuana can help seizures, but it can also cause them. There have not been enough studies for doctors to figure out which ingredient is harming people and cutting off the use of the drug can cause an increased risk for seizures.
Cocaine in all types and forms can cause a seizure within seconds after it is taken. It should be avoided if you are prone to seizures. If you have had a seizure it is important to get medical care immediately and talk with your doctor about your health and management of the disorder.
