Many people often think of seizures as being very noticeable with full body tremors, but there are many “small” seizures that can be harder to detect. For example, what appears to be an increased amount of daydreaming or staring off into space might actually be signs your child is experiencing
small seizures
.
What is the difference between daydreaming and absence seizures?
They are a type of generalized onset seizures, meaning they begin in both sides of the brain at the same time. An older term is petit mal seizures. They begin and end abruptly, lasting only a few seconds.
Absence seizures
can be so brief they sometimes are mistaken for daydreaming and may not be detected for months.
Are staring spells seizures?
Though most staring spells are perfectly normal,
sometimes they can signal an absence seizure
. Once known as petit-mal (“little sickness”) seizures, absence seizures most commonly affect children between ages 4 and 14, but older kids and even adults can occasionally have them.
What is a stare seizure?
An absence seizure
causes you to blank out or stare into space for a few seconds. They can also be called petit mal seizures. Absence seizures are most common in children and typically don’t cause any long-term problems. These types of seizures are often set off by a period of hyperventilation.
What does a silent seizure look like?
Absence seizures involve brief, sudden lapses of consciousness. They’re more common in children than in adults. Someone having an absence seizure may look like
he or she is staring blankly into space for a few seconds
. Then, there is a quick return to a normal level of alertness.
What are signs of mini seizures?
- Muscle tightening.
- Unusual head movements.
- Blank stares.
- Eyes moving from side to side.
- Numbness.
- Tingling.
- Skin crawling (like ants crawling on the skin)
- Hallucinations- seeing, smelling, or hearing things that are not there.
What are the 3 main phases of a seizure?
Seizures take on many different forms and have a
beginning (prodrome and aura), middle (ictal) and end (post-ictal) stage
.
Does lack of vitamin D cause seizures?
While vitamin D deficiency in children usually presents as rickets, when severe such deficiency may
result in hypocalcaemic
Can lack of sleep cause seizures?
Can sleep deprivation trigger a seizure?
Yes, it can
. Seizures are very sensitive to sleep patterns. Some people have their first and only seizures after an “all-nighter” at college or after not sleeping well for long periods.
Can you stop a seizure from happening?
Seizures can be unsettling
, but many people find that they’re able to control or stop them with medicine. Surgery,devices that stimulate nerves or detect seizures then stop them, and even diet changes are other ways to deal with them. Your doctor can work with you to find a treatment that helps.
Does one seizure cause more?
If a first seizure is unprovoked, however, meta-analyses suggest that
30-50% will recur
; and after a second unprovoked seizure, 70-80% will recur, justifying the diagnosis of epilepsy (a tendency for recurrent seizures).
How do you trigger an absence seizure?
Researchers don’t know the specific cause for absence seizures. The condition may be genetic and able to pass down from generation to generation.
Hyperventilation or flashing lights
may trigger an absence seizure in others. Doctors may never find a specific cause for some patients.
What are the 4 types of seizures?
There are four main types of epilepsy:
focal, generalized, combination focal and generalized, and unknown
. A person’s seizure type determines what kind of epilepsy they have. Different types of seizures affect the brain in different ways.
Can you feel a seizure coming on?
Some patients may have a feeling of having lived a certain experience in the past, known as “déjà vu.” Other warning signs preceding seizures include
daydreaming
, jerking movements of an arm, leg, or body, feeling fuzzy or confused, having periods of forgetfulness, feeling tingling or numbness in a part of the body, …
What are the 3 types of seizures?
- absence seizures (formerly known as petit mal)
- tonic-clonic or convulsive seizures (formerly known as grand mal)
- atonic seizures (also known as drop attacks)
- clonic seizures.
- tonic seizures.
- myoclonic seizures.
Can you remember a seizure?
Sometimes they can talk quite normally to other people during the seizure. And
they can usually remember exactly what happened to them while it was going on
. However, simple partial seizures can affect movement, emotion, sensations and feelings in unusual and sometimes even frightening ways.
