• Question: why do i faint especially in medical places ?

    Asked by anon-310794 on 2 Feb 2022.
    • Photo: Samuel Ellis

      Samuel Ellis answered on 2 Feb 2022:

      Fainting in general is due to a drop in blood pressure, with not enough blood flow to the brain resulting in brief unconsciousness.

      I had to look up why it happens to some people in hospitals when they see blood or needles for example. It seems to be due to the body overreacting to a fear or stimuli and triggering hyperstimulation of the vagus nerve, which controls heart rate. This makes blood pressure go down to fast, which is why you feel dizzy or even faint.

    • Photo: Prabs Dehal

      Prabs Dehal answered on 3 Feb 2022:

      What Sam says.
      If you are feeling a bit worried in certain places, your body signals to you to get away. There’s theories going about that there are specific reactions to danger: fight (put up a defence), flight (run away) or feign death (as many predators don’t eat something that’s already dead as it may have dangerous bacteria), so perhaps fainting is a defence mechanism?
      Women and girls often have not enough red blood cells because of the period. This is known as anaemia. That means that even a slight drop in blood pressure, or too much sudden heat (as medical places are often warmer for older people) can make us feel faint. Taking your coat or jumper off before going into warm places might make you feel a bit better.

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