What to Do If Someone Has a Seizure: A Summer Safety Guide

Summer means vacations, flights, pool days, boating, concerts, weddings, barbecues, and long days in the sun. It can also bring circumstances that may increase seizure risk for some people, including disrupted sleep, dehydration, missed medications, alcohol use, illness, and changes in routine.

But would you know what to do if someone suddenly had a seizure next to you?

Whether it happens on an airplane, beside a swimming pool, at a summer party, or while you're on vacation, knowing basic seizure first aid can help protect someone from injury and help you recognize when it's time to call 911.

First: What Should You Do When Someone Has a Seizure?

If someone begins having a convulsive seizure, stay with them and remain focused on keeping them safe.

Start by timing the seizure. Move nearby objects that could cause injury and, when possible, cushion the person's head. Do not try to stop their movements or hold them down.

If the person is not awake and aware, turn them onto their side when it is safe to do so. This can help keep their airway clear.

Most importantly, never put anything in someone's mouth during a seizure. A person cannot swallow their tongue. Do not give them food, water, pills, or other substances until they are fully awake and able to swallow safely.

Stay with them until the seizure has ended and they have recovered enough to safely understand their surroundings.

What If Someone Has a Seizure on an Airplane?

Flying itself isn't necessarily a seizure trigger, but travel can introduce several factors that may increase seizure risk for susceptible individuals.

Long travel days can mean less sleep, altered medication schedules, dehydration, irregular meals, and stress. Traveling across time zones can also disrupt someone's normal sleep and medication routine.

If someone has a convulsive seizure during a flight, alert a flight attendant immediately.

If space allows, protect the person from hard surfaces and give them as much room as possible. The Epilepsy Foundation recommends positioning a person having a major seizure across the seats with their head and body turned to one side and using pillows or blankets to protect their head.

Do not restrain their movements and do not place anything in their mouth.

If the seizure continues for approximately five minutes or another seizure begins before the person recovers, alert the flight crew that the situation may be a medical emergency.

What If Someone Has a Seizure in a Pool, Hot Tub, Lake or Ocean?

A seizure involving loss of consciousness in water should be treated as an emergency.

If you can safely assist, support the person's head so their face remains above the surface and call for help. Get them out of the water as quickly and safely as possible.

Once they are out of the water, check their breathing. If they aren't breathing, begin CPR if you know how and follow instructions from emergency services.

If they are breathing normally but are not fully awake, position them on their side and stay with them.

Emergency medical assistance should be called after a seizure involving loss of consciousness in water, even if the person appears to recover. Inhaled water can potentially cause serious complications.

This is also why people with epilepsy or uncontrolled seizures may need individualized precautions around swimming, boating and other water activities.

What If Someone Has a Seizure After Drinking Alcohol?

Summer parties, vacations, weddings and concerts often involve alcohol.

Alcohol doesn't affect everyone with epilepsy in the same way, but heavy alcohol consumption and alcohol withdrawal are recognized potential seizure triggers. Other factors that accompany drinking—such as dehydration, missed medications, lack of sleep and not eating normally—may also contribute to seizure risk.

If someone who has been drinking begins having a seizure, don't assume they're simply intoxicated.

Follow the same seizure first-aid principles: protect them from injury, time the seizure, don't restrain them, don't put anything in their mouth, and position them safely on their side when appropriate.

If this is their first known seizure, the seizure lasts five minutes or longer, they have repeated seizures without recovering, they have difficulty breathing, or they aren't returning to their usual state, seek emergency medical help.

When Should You Call 911 for a Seizure?

Not every seizure requires an ambulance. Many seizures stop on their own within a few minutes.

However, emergency medical assistance is generally recommended when:

• The seizure lasts 5 minutes or longer

• Another seizure begins before the person recovers

• The person has difficulty breathing

• The seizure occurs in water

• The person is seriously injured

• The person is pregnant or sick

• The person doesn't return to their usual state

• It is their first known seizure

• The person asks for emergency medical help

When you're unsure whether the situation is an emergency, especially when breathing, drowning, serious injury, or a first-time seizure is involved, seek emergency assistance.

Can Summer Activities Increase Seizure Risk?

For some people with epilepsy, summer doesn't necessarily mean more seizures. However, summer activities can bring together several commonly reported seizure triggers.

Travel may disrupt sleep and medication schedules. Hot days and outdoor activities may make it easier to become dehydrated or skip meals. Vacations may involve more alcohol than usual. Festivals and amusement parks may expose people with photosensitive epilepsy to flashing lights or visual patterns.

Not everyone with epilepsy has identifiable triggers, and triggers can vary significantly from person to person. Knowing your individual triggers and discussing travel or activity-specific concerns with your healthcare provider can help you prepare.

Seizure First Aid Is Something Everyone Should Know

You don't have to work in healthcare to help someone during a seizure.

Remember the basics: stay with them, keep them safe, turn them on their side when appropriate, time the seizure, and know when to call for emergency help.

A few minutes of preparation could make a significant difference whether you're sitting next to someone on an airplane, spending the afternoon at the pool, attending a summer concert, or traveling with family.

When Is an EEG Recommended After a Seizure?

A seizure does not automatically mean someone has epilepsy. There are many possible causes of seizure-like events, and determining what happened requires evaluation by a qualified healthcare provider.

An electroencephalogram (EEG) records the brain's electrical activity and may be ordered as part of the evaluation when a healthcare provider suspects a seizure or epilepsy.

Depending on the patient's symptoms and how frequently events occur, a provider may recommend a routine EEG or longer-term ambulatory EEG monitoring to collect more information over an extended period.

West Wave Neurodiagnostics provides routine and long-term ambulatory EEG testing for pediatric and adult patients throughout California's Central Coast. Our goal is to make neurological testing accessible, comfortable, and convenient for patients and referring providers.

If you or a loved one has experienced a possible seizure, speak with your healthcare provider about whether EEG testing may be appropriate.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis, or emergency care.