Swooning, Fainting and Vasovagal Syncope

In days gone by swooning women were oft portrayed as being of the fairer and the fainting sex in need of smelling salts to revive them. Surely there were medical reasons instead of just being the weaker sex with faint of heart vapors or feminine wiles, or the likely explanation of the too tightly laced corset and its obstructed breathing. The "V" of Vapors may have been acceptable in olden times, but today we know the "V" of the Vagus nerve and that Vasovagal Syncope is a common cause of fainting.

The vagus nerve is the body's largest nerve, from the brain to the chest cavity. Women experiencing "swooning" may well understand the ramifications of the imbalance of chemicals leading to common fainting. This "nerve directly communicates with the lungs, heart, liver, blood vessels in the lungs, heart and gut, the stomach and small intestine, the pancreas, and the enteric nervous system" . It is an important nerve in our bodies.

Vasovagal syncope (vay-zo-VAY-gul SING-cuh-pee): Most common cause of fainting

An adrenaline rush stimulates our body, hastens our heart rate, narrows blood flow through our vessels and our blood presses rises. The Love Your Vagus Nerve webpage calls this getting "whacked and adrenaline crazed."

In contrast, when the vagus nerve is stimulated by acetylcholine the opposite happens. The Love Your Vagus Nerve webpage calls this "chilling out."Our heart rate slows, our vessels widen and blood rushes to our feet and then our body has to struggle to push the blood to our brain by defying gravity's pull. Vasovagal syncope is common fainting due to a disparity in the normal balancing act of these two chemicals. When the vagus nerve is stressed by the chemical imbalance of acetylcholine, you may briefly feel faint or actually faint because of the temporary decrease in blood flow to your brain '" you experience vasovagal syncope. Your body has over-compensated! Per the Mayo Clinic: "Although vasovagal syncope can occur at any age, it's being recognized as an increasingly important cause of fainting in the elderly."

What triggers common Vasovagal Syncope fainting?

• Standing up quickly
• Pain. Even hitting your funny bone!
• Standing for long periods of time and locking knees/legs
• High Altitude
• Extreme fear
• Excessive Heat exposure
• Sight of blood,
• Standing up quickly
• Pain. Even hitting your funny bone!
• Standing for long periods of time (Bands, military, etc. avoid locking the knees and legs )
• High Altitude
• Extreme fear
• Excessive Heat exposure
• Sight of blood, getting an injection or having blood drawn
• Shocking or distressing news, such as a death of a loved one
• Extreme coughing and straining
• Dehydration or hunger
• Menstrual Cycle
• The onset of Vasovagal Syncope often occurs in a person's teen years and then recurs in clusters throughout life

How to recognize the warning symptoms of Vasovagal Syncope?

Obviously, syncope or fainting is a symptom, but before you actually faint away, you might experience lightheadedness, appearing pale, fleeting nausea, feeling of warming even with a simultaneous cold and clammy sweat. Ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus). Fuzzy thoughts and fuzzy vision where your vision may be constricted causing tunnel vision, forcing you to see only what's in front of you with a loss of side vision. Lights can seem too bright. If you do fall, blood flow should immediately return and oxygen returns to the brain quickly.

Should you see a doctor?

This is usually harmless (unless you faint and hurt yourself in the fall). Per the Mayo Clinic: "Because fainting can be a sign of a more serious condition, such as heart or brain disorders, you may want to consult your doctor after a fainting spell, especially if you never had one before."

How can you stay in better chemical balance?

• Gotta Love that Vagus Nerve website says "just breathe. Breathe deeply. Slow your breath and pay attention to the feeling of your breath moving through your nostrils and into your lungs. Fill your lungs up, so that they press against the inside of your chest cavity and stimulate the vagus nerve, which will in turn tell your system to ratchet it down a bit -- send a little of the good stuff through our hormonal pathways, and reward us wonderfully for the effort we've put out. Do it for three breaths -- or five -- or ten. Do it for a minute -- or two -- or five. But do it. The more you try it, the more you'll like it."
• If you know you are going to get an injection which is a trigger to you, tighten your leg muscles to attempt to stop your blood pressure from drastically dropping.
• Hydrate! Sports, energy drinks, fluids may help prevent syncope, especially if hot and crowded settings bother you or high levels of activity or exercise.
• Lower your head between your knees to increase blood flow to your brain.
• And remember to always avoid vintage corsets! Hehehehe.

SO, HOW DOES THIS AFFECT MY LIFE?

Two people I love dearly have often felt the sense of impending faints, though neither have fallen unconscious yet.

One is male and has had these symptoms as long as he can remember. He gets up too quickly and he experiences lightheadedness. He halts briefly, regains his steadiness, and allows his blood pressure to rise sufficiently.

The other is a teenage girl who has experienced similar symptoms for years but they have become more common and bothersome in her teen years. She also had painful Shingles when she was a mere youngster '" the only child I know personally to have this illness following an earlier bout of Chicken Pox. At a doctor's visit this year she asked about the problem with dizziness and temporary loss of vision. The doctor said it was her vagel nerve acting up (or chilling out), and that this was a common issue for the elderly. Without missing a beat, she told the doctor she "must be an old soul" having suffered with both Shingles and Vasovagal Syncope. And she may well be as she is extraordinarily gifted and wise beyond her years. And the man of whom I spoke is and always has been one who matured young to lead others wisely. Bless them both.

PS: We are not doctors, but we did instead research this information. See your personal doctor for more information and diagnosis.