Fainting disorders

[waltky]

Whenever Granny feels a faintin' spell comin' on, Uncle Ferd grabs her by the ankles an' holds her upside down so her blood rushes to her head...

Researchers say sniffing, gasping may prevent fainting
Oct. 17, 2015 -- Research conducted by Slovak cardiologist Marta Bavolarova suggests simple actions like sniffing and gasping for air can prevent the most common form of fainting.

"Recurrent syncope [fainting] has serious effects on quality of life," Dr. Bavolarova said in a statement published by the European Society of Cardiology Saturday. "Patients are often injured when they fall, which reduces their mobility and ability to look after themselves. Depression is common in these patients." Fainting is the brief loss of consciousness brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow to the brain, leading to a drop in blood pressure and heart rate. It can be caused by prolonged standing or standing up too quickly. Bavolarova's study looked at two women aged 56 and 62 with a medical history of recurring vasovagal syncope. A head-up tilt test was performed on each patient, during which they would lie on a horizontal table that is then quickly tilted 60 degrees to mimic the act of standing up suddenly.

Researchers in Austria believe simple actions like gasping and sniffling can ward off a fainting spell.​

The tests resulted in the patients' avoiding a fainting spell when they sniffed or gasped twice. Using an ECG, researchers found that blood pressure and heart rate remained constant when they did so. "Our test, which is like standing up quickly, previously led to falls in blood pressure and heart rate and subsequent syncope in these patients," Bavolarova said. "But strong and forced inhalation by sniffing or gasping seemed to prevent these drops and they did not faint." "We believe that sniffing and gasping have a strong sympathetic effect that inhibits the abnormal parasympathetic activity in these patients," she added. "This stops fainting at the highest level."

The new preventative maneuver is added to other measures like crossing one's legs or gripping one's hands to increase heart rate when a patient feels faint. "We now also tell patients that they can sniff or gasp to prevent themselves from fainting," Bavolarova said. "This was a small preliminary study and we will confirm our findings in a larger number of patients."

Researchers say sniffing, gasping may prevent fainting

 

[Delta4Embassy]

What combat pilots do to stay conscious under high G-loads should work too ala 'holding someone inverted.' Basicly, straining and forcing blood to your head.

Could try making fashionable g-suits too but think the grunting straining as though constipated is simpler.

 

[shadow355]

I was in Virginia in the early - mid 1990s. Sitting at the table, eating a meal ( breakfast I think ) ; and for no reason what so ever, I fainted. My dads cousin, whom was sitting to my right side next to me ..... woke me up.

First and last time I ever fainted.

I still do not know the cause, or why it happened.

Shadow 355

 

[strollingbones]

not to be debbie downer....if you are fainting suddenly.....dont just pass it off.....i started doing that....first time i was alone and could not figure out why i would sit down in the floor....2nd time i was not alone ...and hit the floor.....3rd time the same....with people and suddenly fainted...they ran all these tests and were pretty sure it was simply a massive drop in blood pressure after getting up from the sitting position....sadly it was my body alerting me to the fact i had cancer...so if you are passing out make sure you have a good physical

 

[DGS49]

A year or so ago I fainted while evacuating my bladder in the middle of the night. Being a male personage, I was doing so while standing up.

Unlike the gentle falling that one sees on television when someone faints, I fell to the ground like the proverbial ton of bricks, making a dent in the drywall with my head, and landing catty-wompular on a wooden magazine rack. I bruised my side badly, cracking a rib, and was in pain for a month. It was no joke.

I fainted because of ultra-low BP caused by a mixture of my BP medication and an over-the-counter Niacin pill, which I had started taking for a cholesterol "issue."

Ironically, the cholesterol issue went away by decree. My "good cholesterol" had been "too low," but the standard was subsequently changed by the FDA and the same reading is now A-OK.

No more Niacin for me.