You’ve probably heard it before: if someone’s having a seizure, stick something in their mouth so they don’t swallow their tongue. Maybe a wallet, a spoon, a finger. Sounds helpful, right?
It’s not. It’s actually dangerous — and the whole ‘swallowing your tongue’ thing is a myth.
Here’s the reality. During a seizure, a person’s jaw can clench with serious force. According to NewYork-Presbyterian, that clenching can break wooden or plastic objects placed in the mouth — and those broken pieces become a choking hazard. It can also cause the person to break their own teeth. And the CDC says plainly: don’t put anything in their mouth. It can hurt their teeth or jaw.
So what should you actually do?
Help them to the floor if they’re not already there. Clear away anything hard or sharp nearby — furniture, sharp edges, anything they could hit. Don’t try to hold them still or pin them down. Just stay close and let the seizure run its course. Most seizures resolve on their own, typically within one to three minutes.
Don’t give mouth-to-mouth during the seizure either. The CDC notes that people usually start breathing again on their own once it’s over.
Call 911 if the seizure lasts longer than five minutes, if the person doesn’t wake up after it ends, if they’re injured, or if it’s their first known seizure.
The urge to do something — anything — when you watch someone have a seizure makes total sense. It looks scary. But the best thing you can do is keep them safe from the environment around them, stay calm, and wait. That’s genuinely enough.