You know what it feels like: dizziness, lightheadedness, narrowed vision, and cold sweat. Consider all the signs, and you know you're about to pass out. Have you ever wondered if you can prevent fainting before it happens? In general, the answer is yes. Whether you need to prevent yourself from fainting or prevent someone else from fainting, just a few quick actions can make a huge difference.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preventing Yourself from Fainting
Step 1. Increase your blood sugar and salt levels
Simply put, your brain needs sugar and your body needs water. To prevent your body and brain from stopping working, your salt and sugar levels need to stabilize. A quick way to do this is to drink the juice and eat a small bag of pretzels. You'll almost immediately come back feeling better.
It seems a little counterintuitive that your body needs salt to stay hydrated, but it's true. The water goes where the salt is; If you have no salt at all in your system, the fluid won't stay in your veins
Step 2. Keep your body cool
Another common reason for fainting is overheating. If you are in a hot and crowded environment, and you start to feel dizzy, it is your body telling you to get out of the environment. Consider the following ideas to cool your body:
- Unlock the layers of your clothes, if possible
- Move to a less congested area (this way you also won't hit other people if you faint)
- Move to an open window or door to get some wind
- Wash your face with cold water and drink cold drinks
Step 3. Hydrate your body with water only
While sugary drinks are great for rekindling your brain when your brain is low on sugar, your body as a whole also needs pure, healthy hydration, in the form of plain, tasteless water. You may know whether you are drinking enough water or not. If you faint frequently, it's probably just because you're not drinking enough.
Urine, ideally, is clear or nearly clear. If your urine is very yellow in color, drink more water. If it's too boring for your taste buds, unsweetened teas and fruit juices are also great
Step 4. Lie down and don't get up too soon
If you feel even the slightest bit of fainting, lie down. Remain lying down for at least 15 minutes. Once you feel better, get up slowly. Elevating your body into a vertical position means that in order for blood to reach your brain, it must flow against gravity. If you wake up too soon, the blood suddenly drops and makes the brain wonder what happened. This can cause a feeling of fainting. If this is the case, move slowly, especially when getting out of bed.
This also applies if you have just passed out. Whenever you feel weak or dizzy, always move slowly and carefully. It is your body telling you that your body's systems can't keep up with your pace. Rest your body and lie down
Step 5. Control your breathing
When we are anxious/nervous, it is natural for us to start breathing rapidly and even hyperventilate. If this gets out of control, your brain will stop receiving oxygen; You are not breathing deeply enough for the brain to process its needs. If you think your fainting may be due to your nervousness, concentrating on your breathing and slowing your breathing can make your fainting feeling go away.
- Count as you breathe in: 6 seconds inhale and 8 seconds exhale. After a few times, you may find that your anxiety lessens.
- Focusing on your breathing also distracts you from whatever it is that is making you nervous. This is another reason why it's easier to stay calm.
Step 6. Avoid your triggers
Blood sugar and salt levels, heat, and hydration are very common reasons for fainting and, in most cases, harmless. However, there are other things that cause certain people to faint. If you know what triggers your fainting feeling, avoid it. This could be due to a number of things, but the following are the most common:
- Alcohol. In some unlucky people, alcohol can cause fainting. This is because alcohol widens blood vessels, so blood pressure drops.
- Needle. In some people, looking at a needle triggers the vagus nerve, which widens blood vessels, slows the heart rate, and lowers blood pressure, causing fainting.
- Emotion. Strong emotions, such as fear and nervousness, can alter breathing and cause a drop in blood pressure, as well as other negative effects that can cause fainting.
Step 7. Consider changing your medications
Side effects of certain medications include fainting and dizziness. If you have just started taking a new medication and have only recently experienced feelings of fainting, talk to your doctor about changing your medication, as your medication appears to be the cause.
Fainting, in general, is harmless. However, if you faint, you can injure yourself the next time you fall. This is the main reason it is important that you change your medication whenever possible
Part 2 of 3: Preventing Others from Fainting
Step 1. Make them sit or lie down
The bottom line is that the brain needs blood and oxygen to function properly. If you notice someone turning pale and complaining of dizziness and tiredness, have them lie out in the open - they may pass out.
If there is no place to lie down, have them sit with their heads between their knees. It's not as good as lying down completely, but it should reduce the feeling of fainting, at least temporarily
Step 2. Make sure they get enough air space
A person fainting in a crowd of people was not unusual, mostly because the environment was too hot and there was no airflow between the people's bodies. If you are with someone who is about to pass out, take him or her to an open area where air can flow and it is not too hot and stuffy.
If you're stuck in a room and you don't have much choice, bring him to an open door or window. Just a little more airflow can make a difference, even if the room is still too hot
Step 3. Give them juice and biscuits
The brain works again with salt and sugar. Most likely they need hydration and energy, so a little sugary drinks and a little salt are best to get the brain working again. Help them drink and eat if necessary; they may not be strong enough to eat and drink.
Salt is actually necessary for hydration. When there is salt in the body, the body then sends water there. Without salt, water cannot be processed into the cells that need it
Step 4. Help them stay calm
People who have fainted for the first time are likely to be afraid of what they are feeling. Their vision may become blurry, they may not be able to hear properly, and they may also have difficulty standing. This stage may last several minutes before passing out or until the feeling of fainting has subsided. Tell them that they might pass out, but that everything will be fine once it's over.
Reassure them that most cases of fainting are harmless. As long as they don't hit their heads (which you can be sure won't happen with you around them), in a few minutes they'll be fine again
Step 5. Stay by their side, and ask others for help
If this person is about to pass out, make sure you stay by his side to catch him if he faints. Don't leave him looking for help unless you're absolutely sure you should go for help. He needs your moral support too.
Instead, ask someone else for help, even if it's someone you don't know who is 15.2 m from you. Tell him that the person you're with feels like he's about to pass out. He can find someone in a building near you, and hopefully can bring you water and snacks, as well as contact anyone who needs to be contacted (parents, doctor, etc.)
Part 3 of 3: Dealing with Fainting
Step 1. Tense your arm and leg muscles
Fainting is usually caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain. Tensing the muscles in your limbs will increase your blood pressure, which can relieve the feeling of fainting. This can be done before you pass out and at any time, just to make sure your blood pressure doesn't drop.
- Squat down (keep your balance with the help of a wall, just in case) and repeatedly tense your leg muscles.
- Fold your arms in front of you and tense your arm muscles repeatedly.
- Try this a few times - if it doesn't seem to work, lie down.
Step 2. Consider doing a leaning exercise
People who frequently pass out from taking certain medications sometimes find that they can train their bodies to fight the feeling of fainting. One common method is the “leaning exercise,” in which you stand with your back against a wall and the heels of your feet about 15 cm from the wall. Hold this position for about 5 minutes without moving. Somehow, this position “unwinds” the wires in your brain, eliminating the feeling of fainting.
Try to do this exercise for longer periods of time, until you can do it for about 20 minutes without feeling faint. This is an exercise you do gradually over time, to prevent fainting spells - it's not to be used just for one moment of urgency
Step 3. Eat something salty, like crackers
If you can, grab a salty snack for you to eat. Alternatively, ask someone near you to get you a snack (tell them that you feel like you're about to pass out). And if fainting is a common occurrence for you, always carry a snack with you to deal with situations like these.
A little juice or water doesn't hurt either. Your body needs to be hydrated, and salty snacks and juice or water are the best things to do
Step 4. If the feeling of fainting doesn't go away, stay away from objects that could injure you
You may only have about a minute (more or less, depending on the intensity) to warn you that you are about to pass out. During this time, try to think about going out into the open where you can lie down. Lying down is for you - the open is so you don't hurt yourself.
Whatever you do, stay away from the stairs. If you faint while you are on the stairs, you could fall down the stairs and seriously injure yourself. The same is true for sharp-edged objects such as tables
Step 5. Tell someone for help
If you're at school or a public place, tell the people closest to you that you think you're about to pass out and ask them to get help. Ideally, someone will bring you a snack and water and help you deal with the situation when you regain consciousness.
This can be serious if it occurs in a particular place of business as a buyer passing out could mean the design and management of the place is not right (the place needs more ventilation, needs to limit the number of people that can be in the premises, etc.). Don't worry, if you are in a public place, someone will help you
Step 6. Whatever happens, lie down
Even if you skip all of the steps above, if you lie down, you'll likely be fine. If you consciously do this, you will not hurt yourself. If you do this unconsciously, you can get seriously injured, and possibly injure those around you as well. Lying down is your number one rule.
What's rule number one? Correct: "lay down." This will save you from getting hurt, and your actions will likely let those around you know that something is wrong. What's more, once you lie down, you will feel much more comfortable
Tips
- Fainting is usually caused by a temporary lack of blood flow to the brain.
- You should seek medical attention if you experience repeated/constant fainting.
- Fainting is mostly caused by standing up too quickly, dehydration, medications, or overly intense emotions.
- Sucking on sugar candy increases the glucose levels in the body. Before any situation where you feel like you might pass out, consider doing this.
- Even after you try these tips you can still feel a little dizzy, so another great way to prevent fainting is to lie on the floor and lift your legs up for a few minutes. Another great way is to get on your knees and cross your legs and position your head between your legs.
Warning
- If you experience any other symptoms - headache, backache, chest pain, shortness of breath, stomach pain, weakness, or loss of function, seek medical attention immediately.
- If you are driving when you start to feel faint, pull over to a safe place.
- Many people get serious injuries from fainting in the bathroom at night. A possible cause is low blood pressure (and for men, inactivity of the vagus nerve when urinating). Turn on the bathroom light, move slowly when you get out of bed, and sit down when using the toilet.
