Illness and fainting: do not do anything, just lie still!

Do you know the following scenario? You are at a restaurant. It's hot and stuffy, there are clouds of cigarette smoke all around (unless there are special rooms for smokers). You drink, but have not eaten anything yet. You either sit upright, or just get up, going to the toilet. Suddenly you feel a sharp weakness, dizziness, as if you just inhaled nitrous oxide from a dentist; In the eyes darkens, you feel sick; You feel that if you do not hold onto the chair, you will fall. Instinctively you lie down and after a few minutes you start to feel better. If you do not immediately take a horizontal position, then in fact you will faint.

The one who watches you from the side, will see that you have turned pale, covered with a cold sweat and flopped to the floor. Now, if you are lucky and left alone, you will recover yourself in a couple of minutes.

If not, you may have been helped by some good Samaritan. He was absolutely convinced that you had a heart attack and developed a violent activity. He often saw something like that on television. He will saddle you, begin to squeeze your chest and breathe you "mouth-to-mouth". When the ambulance arrives, you are already awake, alive and in order, except for the huge bruises and a couple of cracked ribs. A good Samaritan can not believe it - he saved your life!

The truth is that your life did not need to be saved and you could avoid bruising and broken ribs if you were just left alone.

Limited knowledge can be very dangerous in these situations. If you really save someone's life, follow the rules that you are taught. Do not rely on what you saw in the movies or on TV. Teaching you how to bring the victim back to life, if he really needs it, the emergency course will teach you how to distinguish between a simple fainting and a cardiac arrest. If you do not go through this course and see that someone suddenly falls to the floor, please do not immediately begin to break his ribs. Give nature a couple of minutes, put the person comfortably. If you feel that you have to do something, raise his legs to increase the flow of blood to the brain. In nine cases out of ten, your "patient" will wake up himself in a few moments. Here is the basic rule. Most fits of "weakness" is not associated with cardiac arrest, but if you are not sure of the cause, the first thing you must do immediately is to call an ambulance . Then, after the person has already lay down for about 30 seconds or so and still has not recovered, you can provide first aid - but only if you know how to render it . (First, however, make sure that the pulse is not probed and the person is not breathing.) Do not learn in the process! Ask, maybe one of those present was trained accordingly. If you take the initiative on yourself, a really competent person will be left out, being sure that you are able to do this.

Fainting is the result of a sudden decrease in the supply of blood to the brain, usually caused by a sharp, rapid drop in blood pressure. There are a number of cases in which this can happen. Remember that blood pressure is maintained by several complex mechanisms acting together - some increase it, others reduce it. With a simple fainting, the last ones take over. The attack in the restaurant, which is described earlier, is called a vasovagus syncope and is usually provoked by drinking alcohol on an empty stomach in a hot, stuffy room. But pain, trauma or fear can also cause it. Sometimes people develop faintness when they donate blood for analysis while sitting.

Here are a few other situations in which vasovagus syncope may occur: vigorous coughing , tension during defecation and urination, especially when it is difficult for you to do this because of an enlarged prostate gland. If the prostate is enlarged, get the habit of sitting down (if possible) when urinating. If you are standing at a urinal in a men's room, do not rush and do not push, no matter how big the line is for you. Too quickly getting up from a prone position can also give faintness due to a sudden drop in blood pressure. Especially often this is observed in the elderly, and in particular, in those who take medications that reduce blood pressure.

On the neck there is a sensitive area called the carotid sine sinus . You can easily feel how it pulsates in the upper right side of the neck, just under the jaw. Doctors massage it, if the patients have a very fast heartbeat and it needs to be slowed down. In the elderly, even turning the head can squeeze the sine, slow down the heart contractions, which will lower blood pressure and cause a faint. In fact, pressure on the carotid sinus by any mechanism will lead to fainting.

You probably heard this story: from time to time, without warning, the man suddenly fainted, it frightened and caused anxiety. He was carefully examined by connecting the entire battery of laboratory equipment. No deviations were found. In the end, he was told that he had a state with which he must live, and that his prospects were uncertain.

Deciding that he did not live long, the man hit the pleasures that he had left before. He invested his capital in business without the slightest hesitation. What the heck! He can enjoy it, before it's too late. He traveled to exotic countries, dined in the most chic restaurants, gave his wife jewelry and completely updated his wardrobe. Once, when buying a shirt, the seller asked him what he was wearing the size of a collar. He replied: "Sixteenth." The seller was surprised (he measured the size by eye) and asked the patient when the last time he bought a shirt. "Eight years ago," John replied. The seller measured his neck, just to make sure, and informed him that the size of his collar was seventeenth. "Sixteenth is too small for you, in fact, if you wear the sixteenth, you must often faint ..."

A sudden decrease in blood pressure and the volume of blood flowing to the brain (both factors cause an unconscious condition) can also arise from drugs . Almost all tranquilizers, many cardiac and almost all drugs used in the treatment of hypertension, can cause you to sink to the floor, especially if you are an elderly person. One medicine is especially known for this effect: nitroglycerin, a classic remedy for angina pectoris. Put it under the tongue when you feel a strong squeezing behind the sternum - and your symptoms will disappear in a minute. Nitroglycerin works by dilating blood vessels everywhere, particularly in the heart. This relieves spasms of the coronary arteries, allowing the blood to flow more freely over them. But if the arteries in the system of general circulation of blood also expand, the blood pressure in them falls. This fall can be significant, especially if the patient is standing, and the result will be a syncope. The overall picture looks very much like an innocent vazovagus syncope. In both cases, the prone position restores blood pressure and stops the attack. Even if it eventually turns out to be superfluous, for your peace of mind make an electrocardiogram. If you have a angina pectoris and you need it from time to time in nitroglycerin, be sure to take a sitting position or lean back slightly before putting it in your mouth.

You can also lose consciousness when the heart suddenly starts to beat very slowly , and by this I do not mean 45 or 50 beats per minute. In some athletes the usual pulse rate is even lower than these values. No, I'm talking about falling to 30 or lower. Combinations of some medicines, for example, indigals with digitalis, can provoke fainting. The same is observed with a "blockade of the heart." Whatever the reason, with a heart rate below 30, the brain does not get the blood it needs and you can lose consciousness.

You can also feel faint if your heart beats too fast . Again, I do not mean 150 beats per minute, which you can earn after an energetic game of badminton. But when the ventricles contract 200 times a minute or more often in a sitting position, your heart does not have time to recover after each stroke. It starts to work idle, practically not throwing out blood at reductions. It causes a faint. The causes of such rapid arrhythmias are not always clear, but they often occur in people with heart disease.

Here's the way in which you can distinguish a simple vasovagus vascular syncope from a syncope for a more serious reason. A simple fainting is rarely preceded by pain, squeezing in the chest or lack of breathing - but only weakness, dizziness and nausea. The same when the cause is a heart rhythm disorder, "faintness" occurs regardless of the patient's position. A vasovagus attack will happen only if a person is standing. Therefore, if you lie in bed and suddenly lose consciousness, this is an alarming factor.

Irritability and hysteria can cause dizziness, which sometimes results in a fainting if a person hyperventilates the lungs . This type of breathing consists of deep, rapid respiratory movements, which each of us does from time to time, if in a state of stress. For some people, however, it becomes a habit. "Hyperventilators" feel that they do not seem to have enough air, and they begin to breathe more deeply. In doing so, they lose too much carbon dioxide, and this causes certain symptoms. To check, take a few deep breaths (remember, just a few). Your hands and feet will soon begin to tingle, and your head will swim. If you continue this long enough, you will faint. It's not worth it.

There are, of course, several more serious causes of unconsciousness : diseases of the nervous system, significant loss of blood, heart valve diseases, emphysema, blood clots in the lungs, heart attack, stroke and diabetes when the sugar level falls too low ( hypoglycemia ) due to excessive administration Insulin.

Here are some additional clues to the reasons for your poor state.

Fainting happens often, even several times a day? If so, you have something with your heart or you are an epileptic.

Do you regain consciousness quickly? This is characteristic of vasovagus fainting or a drop in blood pressure for any reason. But if you "turned off" for a fair amount of time, say an hour, think about the low concentration of sugar, if you have diabetes, about a cardiac or neurological disease.

Do you faint or do you really lose consciousness when leaning forward, for example tying shoelaces on shoes? A rare benign tumor in the heart ( atrial myxoma ) can be the cause.

If you become ill with vigorous movement, there are several reasons, most often they refer to cardiac or pulmonary disease.

If, if you feel bad, you lie flat and strength recovers - your blood pressure is too low.

If a syncope is accompanied by a spasm, its cause is heart problems, neurological disease or epilepsy .

If you have a syncope and after a while you notice that the stool is black or tarry, there has been internal bleeding and now you have severe anemia.

Remember the main points of this section: if someone near you fainted before starting a heroic rescue, let him lie down for a few moments, but call an ambulance. It is more likely that he or she will recover. This does not mean that you should not help someone in need. You must, but only if you know what you are doing. Learn the course of emergency care. If you have a pectoral toad, remember how nitroglycerin acts. Do not forget to sit down before putting the pill under the tongue.

Symptom: loss of consciousness