A seizure occurs when the brain experiences a sudden burst of electrical activity, thereby causing changes in movements, behaviour, feelings and levels of consciousness. There are several types of seizures, which present in a range of symptoms and to different degrees of severity. What type of seizure you experience depends on where in the brain the electrical activity occurs and how far out from that spot it spreads.
Regardless of the type of seizure you experience, however, each episode should only last for between 30 seconds and two minutes. A seizure that is longer than five minutes is considered a medical emergency and help should immediately be called. Moreover, if you experience two seizures in the span of 24 hours, and if those seizures do not have a known cause, you may have what medical professionals consider “epilepsy.”
Seizures typically last anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. However, how long an episode lasts depends largely on the type of seizure you experience. Here is an overview of the different types of seizures and the average duration.
Focal seizures occur when electrical activity occurs in one area of the brain. There are two subcategories of focal seizures: simple and complex:
When going through a simple focal seizure, a person may become angry, sad or joyful. He or she may also have trouble speaking, experience the involuntary jerking of a body part, and/or develop sudden sensory symptoms, such as dizziness, tingling and flashing snacks. Some people experience nausea and unusual feelings that they struggle to explain.
It is not uncommon for healthcare providers to confuse other disorders of the brain with focal seizures. This is because focal seizure symptoms resemble the symptoms of narcolepsy, migraine, mental illness and other brain or nervous disorders.
Absence seizures, used to be called petit mal seizures, are more common in children. These episodes are characterized by subtle body movements, such as lip smacking or eye blinking, that cooccur with the affected person starting into space. Most absence seizures last for five to 10 seconds and can occur hundreds of times in a single day. Though single episodes are short-lived, they often come in clusters and may cause loss of awareness.
Tonic seizures typically affect the muscles in the arms, legs and back and are characterized by stiffening of the muscles. In many cases, when people experience these symptoms, they lose consciousness and fall to the ground.
Tonic seizures last about twice the amount of time as absence seizures, at about 20 seconds per episode.
Clonic seizures are depicted by repeated jerking muscle movements that typically affect the upper body. These seizures typically last for one to two minutes.
Atonic seizures are also called “drop seizures,” cause suffers to lose control of their muscles. When a person has this type of seizure, they may fall to the floor or the head may droop. Atonic seizures typically last for 15 seconds or less.
Used to be referred to as grand mal seizures, tonic-clonic seizures are the most remarkable and severe type of epileptic seizure. These seizures can cause a variety of different symptoms, including body stiffening, shaking and loss of consciousness. For some people, these seizures can cause loss of bladder control and/or them to bite their tongues. Tonic-clonic seizures can last for several minutes at a time, from one to three minutes.
Myoclonic seizures are seizures that typically appear as sudden brief twitches or jerks of the legs or arms. For people who experience these seizures, there is usually no loss of consciousness. Myoclonic seizures typically last for one second or less.
If you experience any seizure symptoms, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. However, if one or more of the following occurs, treat your condition as a medical emergency:
Typically, seizures last for anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes. However, certain types of seizures can last for considerably shorter lengths of time, while others can last for longer lengths of time. If you live with a condition that causes or triggers seizures, it is important to understand for how long seizures last and to familiarize yourself with worrisome symptoms. If a seizure lasts for beyond two minutes, be concerned; if it lasts for five minutes or more, seek emergency medical attention right away.