Why Do We Faint?

Posted on 13. Jul, 2010 by dimaks in Life

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Have you ever fainted? I think fainting is one of the most over-heard worst case scenario that a person may encounter at an unexpected moment. This thing happens at an instant and at some point, you would really see it coming but due to lack of basic knowledge, you seem to ignore its symptoms.

Fainting is also known as “Syncope”.

Let us learn from Dr. Wedro and StÃ¶ppler why do people faint:

The brain has multiple parts, including two hemispheres, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. The brain requires blood flow to provide oxygen and glucose (sugar) to its cells to sustain life. For the body to be awake, an area known as the reticular activating system located in the brain stem needs to be turned on, and at least one brain hemisphere needs to be functioning. For fainting or syncope to occur, either the reticular activating system needs to lose its blood supply, or both hemispheres of the brain need to be deprived of blood, oxygen, or glucose. If blood sugar levels are normal blood flow must be briefly disrupted to the whole brain or to the reticular activating system. (www.medicinenet.com)

Human being faint due to many reasons – it can be lack of food intake, daily multivitamin, very high body temperature or the mere sight of blood gushing out from a wound. Almost right after the said causes, a person to faint will feel nauseous and dizzy and then sweating follows. The next thing you know, it’s total black out!

For the run down, here are some causes of fainting or Syncope:

Decreased blood flow to the brain
Sudden changes in the heart rhythm
Faulty heart structural conditions
Sudden cardiac death
Postural hypotension (loss of blood or fluid in the blood vessels)
Dehydration and;
Anemia

To attend to a fainting person, you need a glass of water for drinking. Recovery from fainting can be spontaneous but it can also become complex in a sense. It happens when a fainting happens for seemingly no apparent reason.

In this case, special doctor diagnosis is recommended so as not to complicate things. Should confinement or special medical attention be needed, things can be acted upon early on.