Various causes can make the blood supply that carries oxygen to the brain not sufficient to keep it conscious and alert, leading to fainting. Take note of how to act in these cases.
Sometimes, due to various causes, the blood supply that carries oxygen to the brain is not enough to keep it conscious and alert. Then there is a loss of consciousness that can be complete or partial, but that quickly recovers. This is known as fainting, syncope, or fainting.
Causes of fainting or fainting
- There are people for whom strong emotions such as anxiety, fear, or even joy are overexcited, leading to fainting.
- The enclosed places with poor ventilation often produce feeling cramped and cause anxiety attacks and syncope.
- Fast maintenance over time.
- Pain, because it affects each person very differently, can cause the brain to disconnect and cause the person to faint.
- Extreme heat causing a sudden voltage drop.
- Normally it also depends on the person since what does not affect someone else can generate anxiety that causes an episode of fainting.
- Fainting is also associated with phobias, which cause fears that can also lead to fainting.
Signs, symptoms, and complications of a lipothymia
Someone who is about to suffer a syncope will show a series of characteristic symptoms, which will make us identify that he is going to suffer fainting :
- Sudden weakness
- Pallor.
- Cold or excessive sweating.
- Blurred vision.
- Unconscious or semi-conscious: the person will be noticed in a daze, with little reaction to stimuli.
- Sudden fall to the ground.
- Shallow breathing
- Weak pulse and tiredness.
- Feeling dizzy
- Myotonia (difficulty relaxing muscles).
- Headache.
- Poor hearing
- On occasion, stomach pain.
Complications of lipothymia
Fainting in itself does not have any complications. The problem lies in the environment in which it occurs. That is, the person fainting and falling runs the risk of hitting the floor or other objects or furniture. For example, it is not the same for someone to faint while sitting and with people around, do it while climbing a ladder, and are alone or driving.
It is important, if it happens frequently, that the people around you know it and can come in a time of crisis.
What to do when faced with a lipothymia
To a person who has suffered sudden fainting is because:
- First, check that it is just a faint and that he is still breathing.
- Place the victim in a place with good ventilation.
- Loosen clothing to make breathing easier.
- Instruct them to breathe deeply, taking air through the nose and expelling it through the mouth.
- Ask him to cough several times. This stimulus improves cerebral blood flow.
- If conscious, lie on his back and raise his legs to facilitate blood return to the brain.
- If it is unconscious, but it has been verified that it breathes, place it on its side so that in case of vomiting, it is expelled.
- If it is cold, prevent the victim from getting cold. Putting a vest or a blanket over it is enough.
What not to do when faced with a lipothymia
Faced with a lipothymia, there are some actions that we should not undertake:
- Do not give anything to eat or drink until the person is fully recovered, in which case water can be given.
- Never leave the victim alone.
Warning signs of fainting
Someone may faint for other reasons. If the fainting lasts more than five minutes, it is advisable to seek medical help, the person may have diabetes, and the cause of the fainting is a sudden drop in blood sugar.
If the person begins to seizure, it may be a seizure. In this case, the medical services will be notified, and objects that the victim may collide with will be removed to prevent further damage.
