How Can You Help a Person After a Seizure?
Key takeaways:
To help a person after a seizure, keep them in a safe location, check for injuries, and stay with them until they’re fully alert.
Use a calm and reassuring voice to help ease confusion or anxiety. Let them know they’re safe and explain what happened.
Get medical help if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, if multiple seizures occur, or if the person has trouble breathing or doesn’t regain consciousness.
Table of contents
Witnessing someone have a seizure can be alarming, especially when you’re unsure of what to do next. The moments after a seizure can be disorienting for both the person who had the seizure and those around them.
It’s natural to feel anxious or even helpless. Staying calm and knowing how to help can make all the difference. Read on to learn how to support someone immediately following a seizure.
What causes seizures?
Seizures happen when electrical signals in your brain misfire. This abnormal electrical activity causes different symptoms depending on which parts of the brain are affected.
Signs of a seizure: Here’s how to tell the difference between a stroke and a seizure.
How to help during a seizure: Here’s what you can do if you witness someone having a seizure.
Living with epilepsy: Here’s how one person with epilepsy lives a full life with proper treatment.
A tonic-clonic seizure is what most people envision when they think of a seizure: full-body stiffness followed by rhythmic twitching and jerking of the arms or legs. Other types of seizure may cause jerking or twitching in an arm or leg, sudden muscle stiffness, or muscle weakness. Someone having a seizure may stare off into space (called an absence seizure), or experience changes in sensation, emotions, or thinking.
What can you do for someone who’s had a seizure?
If someone you’re with has had a seizure, it’s important to know what to do afterwards. Focus on keeping them safe, helping them recover, and offering reassurance. Here’s how you can help.
Stay calm and reassure them
A person may feel confused, disoriented, or frightened after a seizure. Speak to them calmly to help them feel safe. Let them know where they are and that they’ve just had a seizure.
Why it’s helpful: Post-seizure confusion is common, and a calm presence can reduce fear or anxiety. Reassurance also helps them regain a sense of control.
Ensure they’re in a safe position and place
Gently guide the person to lie on their side if they’re not already. This position keeps their airway clear and helps saliva and fluid drain out of their mouth.
Why it’s helpful: It’s common to feel weak or confused after a seizure. The side-lying position is safest during recovery after a seizure.
Check for injuries
Look for signs of injury, such as cuts, bruises, or swelling. If the person fell during the seizure, they may have hit their head or injured another body part. You may notice bleeding from the mouth — people experiencing a tonic-clonic seizure sometimes bite their tongue.
Why it’s helpful: Treating injuries quickly prevents complications. If you suspect serious injuries, such as a head wound, call for medical help.
Stay with them until they fully recover
Stay with the person until they’re fully alert and aware of their surroundings. Make sure they’re in a safe place — away from traffic and stairs. Post-seizure recovery times vary. Recovery can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.
Why it’s helpful: It’s normal for a person to be confused after having a seizure. Having someone nearby as they recover can help prevent them from injury while they regain awareness.
What should you avoid after someone’s had a seizure?
Avoid food or drink
Muscle weakness and slow reflexes are normal after someone has had a seizure. Avoid giving them anything to eat or drink until they’re fully awake, alert, and able to swallow safely. This prevents choking and aspiration, which happens when food or liquid goes into the lungs instead of the stomach.
Don’t restrain them
Sometimes, people feel agitated or upset as they recover from a seizure. They may get up and walk around. Try to keep the person safe (away from hazards like moving traffic or stairs) but avoid holding them down. This may worsen their confusion and make them more upset.
What should you watch out for after a seizure?
Not everyone who has a seizure needs to go to get medical attention right away. For someone with a chronic seizure disorder, like epilepsy, seizures aren’t typically an emergency. But they may need medical attention if they have a seizure that differs from their usual type or if it lasts longer than expected.
After a seizure, watch for warning signs that the person needs immediate medical attention:
Difficulty breathing or prolonged weakness: If the person struggles to breathe or remains very weak for an extended period, get help.
Prolonged confusion: It’s normal to feel disoriented after a seizure, but confusion lasting more than an hour could mean a problem.
Head injuries: If the person hit their head during the seizure or shows signs of trauma, they should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
Fever or unusual behavior: A fever or signs of infection could mean an underlying condition triggered the seizure and needs treatment.
If you’re unsure or concerned about any post-seizure symptoms, it’s always best to get medical care.
When is a seizure an emergency?
It’s important to recognize when a seizure is an emergency. Call for emergency medical care if:
It’s the person’s first seizure: If the person has never had a seizure before, they need evaluation to determine the cause of the seizure.
Seizures are prolonged or repeated: If a second seizure occurs before the person fully recovers, or if they have a seizure lasting longer than 5 minutes, it’s a medical emergency called status epilepticus.
They don’t regain consciousness: It’s normal for a person to be slow to respond or confused after a seizure. But if they’re not waking up or responding to you at all, call 911.
How can you comfort someone who has had a seizure?
Stay calm and use a soothing, reassuring tone to help the person feel safe. Remind them that they’re OK and let them know that you’re there to help. If they’re confused, explain what happened and where they are.
Avoid overwhelming them with too much information at once — keep your words simple and comforting. Ensure they’re in a safe place and let them recover at their own pace.
The bottom line
Knowing how to care for someone after a seizure can make a big difference to their recovery and safety. Staying calm, providing reassurance, and ensuring their physical well-being are key steps. Watch for warning signs, such as difficulty breathing or repeated seizures, that may require medical attention. By staying informed and prepared, you can support someone through a seizure with confidence and compassion.
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References
Benbadis, S. R. (2004). The value of tongue laceration in the diagnosis of blackouts. American Family Physician.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). First aid for seizures.
Epilepsy Society. (2024). What to do if someone has a seizure.
Kiriakopoulos, E., et al. (2017). Tonic-clonic seizures. Epilepsy Foundation.
Kiriakopoulos, E. (2019). Understanding seizures. Epilepsy Foundation.
Rowland, K., et al. (2022). Evaluation after a first seizure in adults. American Family Physician.
Sawaf, A. A., et al. (2023). Seizure precautions. StatPearls.
Sirven, J. I., et al. (2013). Help after a seizure. Epilepsy Foundation.
Sirven, J. I., et al. (2017). First aid for tonic-clonic seizures. Epilepsy Foundation.
