I’ve fainted several times in my life, including once on the London Underground in rush hour, and another time at a supermarket check-out (no, it wasn’t a reaction to the enormous bill!) Knowing you are about to lose consciousness is not a nice feeling but for most of us, fainting is not a symptom of a serious medical condition.
one minute you’re fine, then suddenly you feel weak and woozy and the world seems to be spinning around you until everything goes black. The next thing you know, you’re opening your eyes and concerned faces are staring at you, asking if you’re all right. At least that’s my experience of fainting – apart from the time I passed out on the Tube in London. When I came around, not a single soul in the jam-packed carriage asked how I was, not even the person who must have picked me up off the floor and put me in a seat!
Fainting is caused by not enough blood getting through to the brain, and it is fairly common – around one in every three people will faint at some stage in their life, and women tend to faint more than men. The medical term for fainting is syncope, and the most common cause of fainting is vasovagal syncope. This occurs when some kind of trigger – it can be physical, emotional or environmental – causes a sudden drop in your heart rate and blood pressure. This reduces the flow of blood to your brain and as a result you can briefly lose consciousness.
WHAT TRIGGERS FAINTING EPISoDES?
Becoming emotionally upset. Stress, fright or sudden pain can kick start your nervous system, leading it to signal the heart to slow down or blood vessels to widen. If this happens too quickly, your blood pressure can drop suddenly, causing you to faint. Some people have this response in situations like seeing blood, hearing bad news or being threatened with harm.
Fainting when you’re hot is quite common. It can be due to a low volume of blood circulating through your body because of the heat. Dehydration can also lead to passing out.
Standing up suddenly. Normally when you go from being horizontal to vertical, your heart rate and blood pressure increase to get blood to your brain. Sometimes this response doesn’t happen quickly enough so not enough blood gets through.
oedical conditions. Less common, but more serious, reasons for fainting include heart problems (such as an abnormal rhythm) and stroke. These are more common in people over 65.
Certain medications. Drugs for anxiety, high blood pressure and allergies can cause a drop in blood pressure that may lead to fainting.
Panic attacks and anxiety disorders that lead to hyperventilating (shallow, fast breathing) can slow down blood flow to the brain.
Drug or alcohol use can lead to fainting, as can extremely energetic exercising, standing for long periods of time and low blood sugar.
In less common cases, people have been known to faint when coughing, swallowing, emptying a very full bladder or straining to empty their bowels.
CAN YoU TELL YoU’RE ABoUT To FAINT?
Indications that you might be about to have a fainting episode include:
Feeling light-headed and dizzy
Suddenly looking pale to other people
Nausea
Feeling warm
Breaking out into a cold, clammy sweat
SHoULD YoU SEE A DoCToR IF YoU FAINT?
Vasovagal fainting is usually harmless and doesn’t need any treatment (unless you injure yourself when you pass out). But it’s still a good idea to see your doctor so they can do tests to rule out more serious causes of fainting, such as heart disorders.
You should definitely go to your GP if you’re over 50, as the older you are, the more likely it is that fainting could be due to a medical problem.
You should seek immediate medical help if you faint and also:
Have pain, pressure or discomfort in your chest.
Have a pounding or irregular heartbeat.
Have convulsions or lose control of your bladder or bowel.
Have difficulty speaking, seeing or moving one or more of your limbs.
Have diabetes.
Took longer than a couple of minutes to come round.
CAN YoU PREVENT FAINTING EPISoDES?
If you’re prone to fainting, you need to talk to your doctor about your particular situation and have tests that rule out any potentially dangerous medical conditions, such as heart problems.
If you have a good idea what triggers your fainting – such as being too warm, or sitting up suddenly – then obviously you need to avoid these situations. Drink lots of water so you don’t get dehydrated and try not to stand for too long in hot, crowded places.
If you think you’re about to faint, lie down and raise your legs up so the blood flows to your brain. If it’s not possible to lie down, sit with your head between your knees until you feel better.
WHAT To Do IF SooEoNE FAINTS
Check the person’s breathing. If they’re not breathing, call 111 and start CPR.
Loosen any tight items of clothing that could be constricting their neck, like ties.
Lift their feet above the level of their heart (about 30cm).
If they’ve vomited, put them in the recovery position on their side to prevent choking.
Keep them lying down for 10 to 15 minutes, preferably somewhere cool and calm. If this isn’t possible, sit them down and place their head between their knees.
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