A seizure is a sudden involuntary change in behavior due to nerve and brain activity. It may be brief, last for just a few seconds, or go on for minutes. It can happen anytime, day or night. There are many types of seizures including epilepsy seizure—which is the most common and affects about 2% of people due to changes in the brain’s normal electrical activity; and stimulation seizures, which is less common and hard to distinguish and may be prompted by the following health issues:

1. Brain tumors

Brain tumors can interfere with the communication between nerves in the brain, causing seizures. These tumors can also intensify an epilepsy seizure. A tumor may have grown in the brain from other health problems like a cerebrovascular accident or head injury.

2. Infections of the central nervous system

Infections can make the brain more sensitive to impulses from the nervous system. They make it easier for episodes to occur or spread from one part of the brain to another. Two common infections can lead to meningitis and encephalitis, also known as brain fever. When an infection moves from one part of the brain to another due to tight space, it is called a mass effect. A mass effect is more common in people with epilepsy than in others.

3. Stroke

A stroke happens when there is a disruption in blood flow to the brain. This disruption can lead to a drop in oxygen and nutrients, which causes cells to die. Lack of blood flow can also cause nerve or electrical activity changes. This leads to changes in behavior and seizures.

4. Certain drugs or medications

Some brain medications can cause convulsions. Some drugs risk causing seizures, and some may do so at higher or lower doses. Some drugs, such as antiepileptic drugs, have been linked to causing convulsions.

5. Abnormal levels of sodium or glucose in the blood

If the level of sodium or glucose in the blood is too high (hyperglycemia) or low (hypoglycemia), nerve cells may be more sensitive to stimulation, and seizures may occur.

6. Stress

Attacks can also happen as a response to stress. Strain can affect the nervous system and cause the brain to become more sensitive to signals from the nervous system. This pressure can cause a person to have a seizure by itself or make the seizure worse.

7. Epilepsy

Epilepsy, or seizure disorder, is a disorder of the brain, in which the electrical signals in the brain become scrambled, resulting in bursts of electrical activity. This sudden electrical activity is what triggers a seizure. In most cases, it’s not clear reason why epilepsy occurs in patients, however, in some cases there is a genetic link. Patients are diagnosed as epileptic after two or more seizures.

8. Hormonal changes

Convulsions can happen when the levels of some hormones in the body change. These changes can include the following: puberty, pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause. In some cases, hormone levels spike or drop quickly, causing seizures.

These are just a few of the many factors that can cause seizures. A convulsion is not the problem but rather the underlying health condition or stimulus that caused it. Some people with epileptic conditions have attacks around the same time every day, while others have them randomly at any time.