2006-09-18 00:40:56 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Fainting, which is also called syncope, can be related to many different things. More than one thing may be the cause of fainting. Sometimes a specific cause for fainting can't be found.
Fainting can happen when not enough oxygen flows through your blood and into your brain. You lose consciousness, or "pass out," for a very brief time -- just a few seconds or minutes.
A sudden drop in your blood pressure can cause you to faint. Sometimes your heart rate and blood vessels can't react fast enough when your body's need for oxygen changes. This is very common among older people. It can happen when:
You stand up fast.
You work or play hard, especially if it's very hot.
You begin to breathe too fast (called hyperventilating).
You get very upset. Being upset can affect the nerves that control your blood pressure.
You're taking medicine for high blood pressure.
Coughing, urinating and stretching can also get in the way of the flow of oxygen to the brain and may be a cause of fainting. If you faint once during one of these activities, it's probably not something to worry about. But if it happens more than once, you should tell your doctor about it.
If you faint when you turn your head to the side, the bones in your neck may be pinching on one of the blood vessels that leads to your brain. If this happens to you, be sure to tell your doctor about it.
A drop in your blood sugar may also cause you to faint. This can happen if you have diabetes, but it may also happen if you don't eat for a long time.
Some prescription medicines can cause fainting. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you think your fainting may be related to a medicine you're taking. Alcohol, cocaine and marijuana can also cause fainting.
More serious causes of fainting include seizures and problems with the heart or with the blood vessels leading to the brain.
2006-09-18 00:44:39 · answer #1 · answered by babygirl4us 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For a number of reasons that cause the blood to leave the brain momentarily.
I fainted when I had pneumonia, when I was dehydrated while recovering from a migraine.
2006-09-18 00:45:34 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
People faint, or have a 'syncope' (pr. sin-co-pee) as it is properly termed, for a number of reasons. It's usually due to low blood presure, say, when you stand up quickly and it takes a while for your blood pressure to compensate for your changed posture and to get the blood circulating to your head. In hot weather, your veins and arteries become dilated (widened) and, if you imagine blowing water through a wide-bore straw and a narrow-bore straw, the jet of water (ie the pressure) will be much greater with the narrow bore. Therefore, in hot weather, your blood pressure will naturally drop, leading to increased likelihood of a faint.
It's your body's way of getting you to lie flat so it can get blood to your brain again. Pretty uncomfortable, but ingenious, I think.
2006-09-18 00:47:25 · answer #3 · answered by medium_of_dance 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Lack of oxygen/blood to the brain.
Standing in one position for long periods of time, or standing up too quickly are examples of this.
2006-09-18 00:45:00 · answer #4 · answered by Lucianna 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋