Fainting: Causes, Prevention & Recovery

Some people can go their entire lives without fainting even once, but others are much more prone to the condition. Pregnant women and elderly people especially are at risk, along with people who have heart conditions or anaemia. While several movies have romanticised the concept of the heroine falling away in a dead faint, in reality the experience is extremely unpleasant. If you or somebody close to you is prone to fainting spells, you should understand why they are caused, how you can prevent them and how they can be solved.

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What is fainting? - Let¡¯s start with understanding what fainting is exactly. A fainting spell is when a person loses consciousness for a short while due to the brain not getting enough oxygen. The person often experiences vomiting, dizziness, clamminess and tunnel vision along with a fainting spell, making the entire experience disconcerting and uncomfortable.

Prevention: Stay hydrated - If a fainting spell takes you by surprise then you may not get a chance to avoid it, but in most cases it can be prevented by following a few simple procedures. The most important ones are to stay hydrated and keep your blood sugar and salt levels high. If you start feeling dizzy, drink some juice and eat some salty biscuits. You can even try eating a fruit along with some other salty snacks.

Prevention: Remain cool - Another important precaution to take is to remain cool. Excess heat can dehydrate you and bring on a fainting spell. If you are prone to fainting in the heat, never leave home without a cap, a bottle of water and some snacks. Avoid overcrowded places where you won¡¯t get enough air to breathe and try to stay in areas where there is ventilation.

Prevention: Lie down - If you feel a fainting spell coming on, don¡¯t remain on your feet. When you are standing, your blood has to go against gravity to reach your brain and so your brain may not get enough oxygen to remain conscious. Find a flat surface and lie down, staying down for at least 15-20 minutes, until the possibility of a spell has passed. When you are getting up again, do it slowly because getting up too quickly can take the blood away from your brain again.

Prevention: Avoid triggers - If you are prone to fainting often, you will start to notice a pattern every time it happens. Whether it is intolerance of the heat, irregular meals, emotional upheavals, or any other cause, you should make it a point to consciously avoid these triggers. If you are aware of them and actively take measures to prevent them then you will be able to reduce the number of occurrences significantly.

Prevention: Change your medication - People who are taking medications for any reason should check with their doctor to see if any of these medications are causing fainting spells. Depending on what your doctor says you should consider changing your medications. Elderly people are especially prone to fainting for this reason, and changing their medications can help prevent it.

Prevention: Be prepared - If you think it might be too late to stop the fainting spell then try to move away from an area that has a lot of objects, so that you don¡¯t hurt yourself by falling and hitting something. Avoid staircases especially, because you could end up falling down the steps and injuring yourself drastically. Alert somebody and ask for assistance, then lie down. Lying down is the most important part, because if you don¡¯t lie down before you faint, you could fall down and get hurt.?

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Source: Health Me Up

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