Find out the cause of fainting and learn what to do about it if it happens to you or anyone else in your surroundings. These first aid tips may save lives!
Fainting is a brief loss of consciousness due to decreased blood flow to the brain. This episode lasts a couple of minutes and the person recovers quickly and completely. However, sometimes fainting can have other causes, such as: shock, printing or poor nutrition.
When a person faints, they can not only experience loss of consciousness. You may also suffer loss of muscle tone and paleness, just as you may feel weakness and nausea just before fainting.
The most common cause of fainting
The most common cause of fainting is the lack of breath or dehydration. When we experience an overexcitement due to emotional factors such as anxiety, fear or joy, they can lead to fainting.
- The closed places with little ventilation often produce a feeling of overwhelm, which causes anxiety attacks and syncopes (fainting).
- Pain can affect each person differently, it can cause the brain to disconnect and this can lead to fainting.
- Conditions of extreme heat that cause a sudden drop in pressure.
- Fainting can also be associated with phobias that cause fears, which can also lead to fainting.
- Psychodepressive problems.
- Low blood sugar.
If you have a history of fainting, it is best to follow the instructions given by the doctor on how to prevent it. For example, if you know the different situations that can be the cause of fainting, it is best to avoid them.
Measures when fainting
- Help the fainting person fall to the ground without getting hurt.
- Place them upside down and with their feet higher than their head. This way the blood will circulate faster and more oxygen will reach the brain.
- Check that their vital signs are normal.
- Loosen clothes, belts and anything that may restrict blood flow. It provokes clearing the environment and refreshing the environment.
- It is necessary to keep the person lying down for at least 10 or 15 minutes or sit forward with the head between the knees.
- Rubbing alcohol on the wrists (hands), the neck and, in addition, cool the forehead; preferably do not put alcohol on the nose of the unconscious, as this instead of favoring it can cause vessels to burst inside the nose.
- It is not advisable to give the person to drink or eat something, it is better to wait for them to recover a little.
- When the faint person comes to themselves, cover them up. Sometimes fainting is followed by a sensation of chills, accompanied by tremors.
If you are one of the people who get dizzy frequently, it is recommended that when standing up wait for a minute or two before getting up. In case of fasting, take a glass of orange juice with sugar; if it is for exercise, take several glasses of water a day.
When to go to the doctor?
When the person faints takes more than a couple of minutes to recover consciousness.
… the person faints too much.
… they have diabetes or are pregnant.
… the person bleeds, is injured or fainted fell from a considerable height.
… seizures occur or if pain is felt.
… your chest bothers you or you lose the ability of speech, sight or movement.
Sometimes fainting leads to complications
Although most fainting are temporary situations, there are others that can have a complication. That is why it is necessary to go to the doctor when this happens, so that it gives a diagnosis and the appropriate treatment.
Sometimes an electroencephalogram, an electrocardiogram or a blood test may be requested. This will identify the reason for fainting.
Last tips
It must be very clear that you cannot lose your calm. Regardless of the cause of fainting, it is necessary to keep calm in order to help the person.
Do not try to pick up the unconscious person! This generates a mistreatment in their extremities and, when waking up, they will feel a lot of pain and abuse.
The hours after fainting are very important. You must have the person under observation, since the cause of fainting is not known with certainty and they could faint again even when lying down.
Don’t forget to SHARE the cause of fainting and the things you need to do when someone faints in front of your with your friends and family on your social networks.
