What to Do If Someone Faints

Most people become worried and frightened if someone faints who is close to them, and with good reason: fainting can be a symptom of a sundry multitude of diseases and conditions. Beyond just signaling a dangerous condition, however, fainting in itself can be life-threatening and it's essential that every person knows what to do if someone faints so that the unconscious person will be properly cared for. If improperly treated, fainting can lead to brain damage or even death. To help mitigate the possibility of this, we have written this article to help guide you through what to do if someone faints.

What to do if someone faints: Why people faint

Before we discuss what to do if someone faints it would be best to discuss why people faint in the first place. If you are currently caring for a person who has fainted, skip on to the next section: it is important that they receive care as quickly as possible.

The ultimate cause of most fainting cases is that the supply of blood to the brain has been reduced by a drastic amount. Without freshly oxygenated blood the brain cells cannot function properly and the person loses consciousness. Usually, upon falling the blood flow to the brain improves (since the person is lying down, the head is no longer elevated) and so the fainted person will usually quickly regain consciousness.

Losing blood flow to the brain can be caused by a variety of conditions including physical exhaustion, hunger, dehydration, emotional stress, hyperventilation, anemia, low blood sugar and serious cardiac problems. If someone faints there is always an underlying cause and therefore they require some form of treatment.

What to do if someone faints: The DO's and DON'Ts of caring for a person who has fainted

The first thing you must do if someone faints is not panic. Then run through the following checklist to properly position and care for the fainted person.

• Do check if a person is still breathing immediately after they faint. If not, administer CPR as needed

• Do immediately alert medical personnel if someone faints

• Do position the person properly. To do this lie the person face-up in a supine position. If at all possible, elevate the heart above the head and feet above the heart: this will allow for maximum blood flow to the brain. Tilt the person's head to one side: swallowing one's own tongue is a serious risk for an unconscious person.

• Do loosen any tight clothing that the fainted person is wearing

• Do use blankets if someone has fainted and is shivering or their lips are turning blue

• Do apply damp towels to face of the fainted person.

What you should not do if someone faints is just as important as what you should do if someone faints. Be sure that you do not do any of DON'Ts on the following list. If someone faints and you do these things, you could put their lives in danger.

• Don't try treating them beyond basic first aid. Leave that to professionals

• Don't try giving them anything to eat or drink until you are sure that they are completely conscious. Even though dehydration is often a cause of fainting, you don't want to risk them choking

• Don't slap or shake the person. That only works in movies. If someone faints and you do this you may end up further injuring them.

Ultimately, there is not that much that you can do if someone faints, except to properly position them and ensure that nothing happens to them while they are unconscious until medical professionals arrive. By knowing the things you can do however, you may one day save a life of someone faints in your presence.