People are often concerned about what fainting and loss of consciousness are, what the difference is between these terms, and how to provide proper first aid to an unconscious person.
Characteristics of loss of consciousness
Loss of consciousness is a condition in which the body does not respond to external stimuli and is not aware of the surrounding reality. There are several types of unconsciousness:
Thus, it turns out that fainting is one of the types of loss of consciousness.
Causes of loss of consciousness
The main causes of loss of consciousness are:
- overwork;
- severe pain;
- stress and emotional turmoil;
- dehydration of the body;
- hypothermia or overheating of the body;
- lack of oxygen;
- nervous tension.
Knowing the reasons for fainting and loss of consciousness, what is the difference between these conditions, you can correctly provide first aid.
Brain damage that causes loss of consciousness can be caused by direct effects of poisoning, hemorrhage) or indirect (bleeding, fainting, shock, suffocation, metabolic disorders).
Types of loss of consciousness
There are several types of unconsciousness:
Any manifestations of disturbances in the functioning of body systems can include fainting and loss of consciousness. The severity of symptoms varies depending on the duration of unconsciousness and the presence of additional injuries.
Clinical picture of loss of consciousness
In an unconscious state, the victim has:
Knowing the symptoms of fainting and loss of consciousness, what is the difference between them and how to properly provide first aid, you can prevent the death of the victim, especially if he has no breathing or cardiac activity. Since timely cardiopulmonary resuscitation can restore the functioning of these systems and bring the person back to life.
First aid for loss of consciousness
First of all, you need to eliminate possible reasons loss of consciousness - take the person out into the fresh air if there is a smell of smoke or gas in the room or action electric current. After this you need to release respiratory tract. In some cases, it may be necessary to clean the mouth using a tissue.
If a person has no heartbeat or breathing, cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be started immediately. After the restoration of cardiac activity and breathing, the victim must be taken to a medical facility. When transporting the victim, there must be an accompanying person.
If there are no problems with breathing or heart function, you need to increase blood flow to the brain. To do this, the victim must be laid so that the head is slightly lower than the level of the body (if there is a head injury or nosebleed, this step cannot be performed!).
You need to loosen your clothes (untie your tie, unbutton your shirt, unbutton your belt) and open the window to ensure air flow fresh air, this will increase the supply of oxygen. You can bring a cotton swab to the victim’s nose. ammonia, in most cases this helps to return him to a conscious state.
Important! If the duration of unconsciousness exceeds 5 minutes, urgent medical attention is needed.
Knowing the difference between fainting and loss of consciousness, you can provide the victim with the correct first aid.
Characteristics of fainting
Fainting is a short-term loss of consciousness caused by a lack of oxygen due to impaired blood supply to the brain. A short-term loss of consciousness does not pose a threat to human life and health and often does not require medical intervention. The duration of this state ranges from several seconds to several minutes. Fainting may be caused by: pathological conditions body:
- disorders of the nervous regulation of blood vessels in sudden change position (transition from horizontal to vertical position) or when swallowing;
- with a decrease in cardiac output - stenosis of the pulmonary arteries or aorta, angina attacks, disorders heart rate, myocardial infarction;
- when the concentration of oxygen in the blood decreases - anemia and hypoxia, especially when climbing greater height(where located or in a stuffy room.
The causes of fainting and loss of consciousness must be known in order to be able to distinguish between these conditions and provide necessary for a person first aid.
Clinical picture of fainting
Fainting is a characteristic manifestation of some diseases. Therefore, if you experience frequent fainting, you must see a doctor and undergo an examination to identify pathological processes in the body.
Fainting is a short-term loss of consciousness caused by a lack of oxygen due to a disruption in the blood supply to the brain. The main symptoms of fainting are nausea and a feeling of stuffiness, ringing in the ears, darkening of the eyes. At the same time, the person begins to turn pale, his muscles weaken and his legs give way. Loss of consciousness is characterized by both increased heart rate and slower heart rate.
In a fainting state, a person’s heart sounds weaken, blood pressure drops, all neurological reflexes weaken significantly, so convulsions or involuntary urination may occur. Loss of consciousness and fainting are mainly characterized by the victim’s lack of perception of the surrounding reality and what is happening to him.
First aid for fainting
When a person faints, it is possible because his muscles weaken. To prevent this, you need to turn the person on his side and call ambulance, since it is quite difficult to independently determine the cause of this condition.
First aid for fainting and loss of consciousness makes it possible to support the vital functions of the victim’s body before the ambulance arrives. In most cases, first aid can avoid death.
Without proper examination, it is impossible to identify the exact cause of fainting. Since it can be a consequence of a pathological process in the body, and ordinary fatigue or nervous tension.
Fainting and loss of consciousness. What is the difference between these concepts?
Having understood the features of the unconscious state of the body, we can conclude that loss of consciousness is general concept. It includes many various manifestations. Fainting is one of them and is a short-term loss of consciousness that occurs as a result of oxygen starvation of the brain.
The feeling of being lost overtakes every person in different periods life. It seems that you fall out of life for some period, as if you don’t know what is happening, and in general what planet we are all from.
- Failures in your personal life
A girl often sees family and children as the meaning of her life. Having reached a certain age, she feels the need to get married and give birth. It happens that you have to wait longer than you would like. And if your girlfriends got married before you, then it becomes completely sad and even envious. Such a girl feels as if inferior. “Why is everyone lucky, they were chosen, but I wasn’t? “I feel lost and worthless,” she thinks.
- Career problems
A person may feel lost in the event of a career decline or job loss. Due to professional unsettlement, a loss of strength, a kind of depression, and loss of interest in life may occur. This usually applies to men, since they are to a greater extent interested in career than women.
- Losing purpose in life
The feeling of being lost also occurs when a person loses the goal he was striving for. Perhaps, having achieved it, he gets what he wanted. Then he discovers that there is nothing left to move towards.
- Unhappy love
Also the reason may be unrequited love, or breaking up with a loved one. When you need someone who is almost or completely indifferent to you. In this situation, a person seems to see no way out. What to do with your feeling? After all, you can’t order your heart. Just wait for it to go away on its own. And at this time, the state of uncertainty and loss takes its toll.
If the reason remains unclear to you, you cannot understand why you feel lost, then perhaps everything is not as scary as it seems.
How to overcome the feeling of being lost?
What happens when a person loses himself and the meaning of life? First of all, there is a loss of interest in any active work. Or simply the loss of the main activity.
First of all, find yourself interesting activity. Come up with something that can distract you from the drabness of everyday life and your inner experiences. New look activities will definitely distract and captivate you. If you were before office worker and lost your place, try yourself as a manager active sales. You will come to your clients yourself. And the walls of the office will be replaced by city landscapes. Surely this will lift your mood and make you forget about bad thoughts.
Have a conversation with yourself. It is very useful to write down your thoughts. You can have yourself personal diary. Describe your feelings. Then read it out loud. Talking through your problems can help you understand and accept them. When you speak out loud and read your thoughts, it’s as if you are looking at them from the outside. So you can give objective assessment everything that happens to you at the moment.
I feel lost
Why do I feel lost?
If there is real problems, and there are several of them, then they should be solved, of course, in order of importance. It happens that everything comes at once and there is no way out, a person is lost. Stop and decide for yourself which problem is of greatest importance. What needs to be done first, and what can wait at least a little longer. Doing several things at once, filling your head with a bunch of questions, you are unlikely to find answers to everything at once. You are simply rushing around, wasting your energy on useless actions when you could direct it into the right direction. Systematic problem solving will lead you to success. And it will help you gain confidence.
And remember that there are probably people who are ready to help you in your difficult situation. Don't be shy or afraid to ask for help. You may only need a little. For example, nice evening in the company of old friends. When you see that your loved ones are happy about your presence and are happy to communicate with you, you will feel in demand and the right person. This could give you back good mood and give impetus to resolving your internal problems. The feeling of being lost will soon leave you.
In any case, don't despair. There is a way out of any, even the most difficult situation.
Loss of consciousness is a condition caused by transient dysfunction of cerebral blood flow, causing tissue hypoxia. It manifests itself as a person’s loss of awareness of reality, disappearance of reflexes, lack of response to stimulation from the outside ( deafening sounds, pinching, patting the cheeks), suppression of the ganglion nervous system. The condition being examined is often a sign of various pathologies or may accompany individual ailments. There are many reasons for the disappearance of consciousness.
Sudden loss of consciousness is characterized by neurogenic etiology (epilepsy or stroke) or somatogenic (hypoglycemia, cardiac dysfunction) genesis. In addition, it can be short-lived or persistent.
Causes of loss of consciousness
- orthostatic, manifested by sudden adoption of a vertical position, taking certain pharmacopoeial drugs;
- occur due to increased susceptibility of the carotid sinus;
- appear due to compression inside the breasts (appears with frequent night urination, coughing, bowel movements).
Hyperventilation fainting occurs due to a feeling of fear and anxiety. Its mechanism is due to an uncontrolled increase and deepening of breathing.
Below are typical signs and symptoms of loss of consciousness. Before falling into an unconscious state, the individual often feels an attack of lightheadedness, nausea, a veil appears, spots appear before the eyes, the subject hears a ringing sound, sudden weakness sets in, and occasionally yawning. Limbs may also become weak and there may be a feeling of impending fainting.
The characteristic symptoms of the described condition include: cold sweat, dullness of the skin, although some individuals may still have a slight blush. After falling into an insensitive state, the individual’s epidermis acquires an ashen tint, the frequency of myocardial contractions can either increase or decrease, the pulse is characterized by low fullness, and muscle tone is reduced. While the individual is in a faint state, his pupils are dilated and react slowly to light. Reflexes are often weak or absent altogether. Symptoms of short-term loss of consciousness persist for no more than two seconds.
Prolonged loss of consciousness is characterized by unconsciousness lasting more than five minutes. This condition is often accompanied by convulsions and involuntary urination.
Typically, doctors distinguish three phases of loss of consciousness: pre-fainting, immediate fainting, and post-fainting.
The condition preceding the loss of consciousness is characterized by the appearance of precursors. This state lasts up to twenty seconds. It manifests itself with the following symptoms: nausea, lack of air, severe dizziness, weakness, a feeling of heaviness in the lower extremities, pallor of the dermis, cold sweat, numbness of the extremities, decreased breathing, weak pulse, drop in pressure, darkening and the appearance of “floaters” in the eyes, gray skin covers, patients may feel a ringing sound. In some patients, along with the symptoms being analyzed, there is also anxiety or a feeling of fear, rapid heartbeat, yawning, a feeling like a lump in the throat, numbness of the tip of the tongue, fingers, lips. Often, loss of consciousness never occurs, and the attack ends with the listed symptoms. Especially when taken by the patient immediately after the appearance of the first harbinger of a horizontal position. Very rarely, a fainting state is characterized by suddenness, in other words, it occurs in the absence of previous warning signs. For example, when various violations myocardial rhythm. The feeling of loss of consciousness and “floating away from under the feet of the earth” is the final sign of the phase in question.
The immediate stage of fainting has the following signs of loss of consciousness: unconsciousness, shallow breathing, decreased muscle tone, weakness of neurological reflexes, and sometimes convulsions. Pupils are dilated, response to light is reduced. The pulse is quite weak or not palpable at all.
While in an insensitive state, the epidermis becomes pale, ashy or greenish, the limbs are cold to the touch, the pressure decreases (systolic pressure reaches 60 mm Hg and below), the pupils are dilated, they react poorly to light, breathing becomes shallow (sometimes it seems that the person is not breathing at all), the pulse is rather weak, thread-like, reflexes decrease. If after twenty seconds blood circulation in the brain is not restored, involuntary urination and defecation may occur, and convulsions are also possible.
The postfainting stage is characterized by the persistence of general weakness against the background of the return of consciousness. In this case, a sudden adoption of a horizontal position can give rise to a new attack.
In patients after full return there is no disorientation in time, self and space. The first reaction to fainting is fear. Therefore, breathing and heart contractions increase. People feel tired, exhausted, and often experience unpleasant sensations in the epigastric region. People do not remember the middle phase of the insensitive state. Their last memories relate to the first stage, that is, deterioration in health.
Brief loss of consciousness
A sudden fall into an insensitive state always provokes stress in people, since their brain associates the phenomenon in question with a life-threatening disorder or with imminent death. Loss of consciousness mainly occurs due to O2 deficiency in brain tissue. Since this organ has a rather intense metabolic metabolism and the need for consumption huge amount oxygen, then a slight decrease in oxygen content causes disturbances in consciousness.
The brain regulates the functioning of the body. He can also turn off organs that he currently considers unimportant for the life of the body, and help vital organs, such as the heart. By turning off consciousness, the brain seems to switch off individual oxygen consumers from the chain to reduce the body’s energy consumption. The consequence of this is muscle weakness, dizziness and loss of consciousness, in which the body assumes a horizontal position and becomes completely immobile, which allows the body to direct blood flow to the neurons of the brain. As a result of this mechanism, the individual quickly returns to consciousness.
Short-term loss of consciousness can be neurogenic, somatogenic and extreme.
In turn, neurogenic syncope is caused by various factors and is divided into the following types, namely reflex syncope, emotiogenic, associative, dyscirculatory, maladaptive.
Reflex fainting is provoked by an increase in the tension of the parasympathetic nervous system, a drop in pressure due to rapid expansion capillaries, which reduces blood supply to brain tissue. This type of fainting occurs predominantly in a standing position. Reflex unconsciousness can occur due to exposure to stressors, a sudden sensation of pain (more often in young people). In addition, the considered variation of the fainting state often occurs when a person rapidly moves from a horizontal position to a vertical torso, during a long-term stay in horizontal position, the act of defecation, urination, while eating (mainly in older people).
Emotionogenic loss of consciousness occurs due to a sharp emotional outburst, fright. More often observed with neurotic states. Often, in emotionally unstable people, against the background of a frightening event, palpitations, a feeling of heat and difficulty breathing appear. There may also be a feeling of losing consciousness.
Associative syncope occurs when the subject has memories of past pathogenic situations associated with loss of consciousness.
Dyscirculatory unconsciousness is caused by a transient spasm of the brain capillaries, which deprives a certain segment of the brain of oxygen for a short period. The most commonly described type of insensible state is found in subjects suffering from vascular dystonia, migraines, and hypertensive crisis.
Maladaptive loss of consciousness appears when an individual is in a hot room, in an environment with low or high oxygen content.
Cardiogenic syncope occurs due to cardiac pathology, for example, with valve disease, insufficient blood output, arrhythmias.
Sudden loss of consciousness of a somatogenic nature is associated with dysfunction of certain organs. Therefore, it can be of cardiogenic origin, hypoglycemic, anemic and respiratory.
Anemic fainting occurs as a consequence of significant blood loss, in particular, quantitative loss of red blood cells, which are the main carriers of O2.
Hypoglycemic unconsciousness occurs in a situation of sudden rapid decrease in blood sugar, which is the main nutrient of the brain.
Respiratory syncope is caused by a disorder of the respiratory system.
Weakness, loss of consciousness of extreme origin occurs due to exposure to various external factors. It happens:
- intoxication, when inhaling various toxic gases;
- medicinal, due to the use of pharmacopoeial drugs that reduce capillary tone;
- hyperbaric, due to high pressure V respiratory system due to increased atmospheric pressure figures;
Fainting and loss of consciousness, what is the difference
Both of these phenomena are not uncommon, but it is quite difficult for an untrained person to determine whether an individual has fainted or lost consciousness. The average person does not have the proper knowledge, and therefore cannot notice the difference between fainting and loss of consciousness.
So, fainting is a sudden, short-term loss of reason that occurs due to a transient insufficiency of the capillaries of the brain. In other words, the brain feels a lack of oxygen due to poor blood flow. The described condition occurs due to sudden oxygen starvation. It is accompanied by suppression of reflexes, a decrease in the frequency of myocardial contractions, and a decrease in pressure.
Loss of consciousness is a long-term disorder in which there is a lack of reflexes and depression of the ganglionic nervous system. The violation in question is dangerous due to the possibility of transition into a coma.
Below are the main characteristics of loss of consciousness and fainting.
Absolutely all individuals can fall into a state of syncope or fainting, regardless of their differences in age, gender and physical condition. Short-term fainting often occurs when frightened, in a stuffy room due to lack of air, during menstruation, during gestation, with a sudden decrease in pressure, due to an overdose medicines or abuse of alcohol-containing liquids, with excess physical activity, hunger strike or poor diet. Each of these factors provokes the outflow of blood from brain tissue, which gives rise to short-term oxygen starvation neurons.
The main signs of syncope (fainting) are the following: slight confusion of mind, noise in the ears, yawning, dizziness, coldness of the extremities, paleness or cyanosis of the dermis, profuse sweating, decrease muscle tension, nausea, drop in pressure, unpleasant sensation in the mouth, dilated pupils. Fainting looks from the outside as if a person is gradually sinking to the floor. Blackout does not occur instantly and can last up to 120 seconds.
Loss of consciousness is a prolonged syncope that occurs due to severe oxygen deficiency in brain cells.
Among the factors that give rise to the disorder in question, the following are distinguished: disruption of blood flow through the capillaries caused by thrombosis, arrhythmia, narrowing of the lumen of the blood capillaries, embolism, venous stagnation, insufficiency of cardiac output, decreased sugar concentration, insulin overdose, epilepsy, concussion, pathologies of the nervous system, chronic diseases of the pulmonary system, osteochondrosis of the cervical segment, intoxication of the body with various toxic agents, such as: nicotine, carbon monoxide, alcohol-containing substances.
In an unconscious state, the individual lies motionless. He has no reactions to external stimuli, the muscles of the body are relaxed, which is why involuntary urination or defecation is possible, and the light sensitivity of the pupils is reduced. There is also cyanosis of the skin and cyanosis of the nails due to impaired breathing and oxygen deficiency.
First aid for loss of consciousness
Having noticed that the individual is losing consciousness, first of all, it is recommended to provide first aid and take actions to prevent the occurrence of bruises and head injuries. Then the etiological factor of syncope should be eliminated. For example, if an individual passes out due to heat, then it is necessary to reduce the temperature in the room by opening the windows. You can try to return a person to consciousness through external stimuli (spraying the face cold water, patting on the cheeks, irritation with ammonia).
Loss of consciousness first aid should avoid commotion and unnecessary fuss. will only make the situation worse.
If an individual has ordinary fainting, then eliminating the factor that gave rise to such a condition will quickly return the person to sanity. In a faint state, loss of consciousness occurs due to disruption of the blood supply to the brain. Therefore, restoring normal blood circulation is the main task of people providing assistance. To return blood flow to normal condition it is necessary to lay the victim down. In this case, his body should be placed at the same level as his head. This means that, contrary to popular belief among ordinary people, there is no need to put anything under your head, and even more so, you should not throw it back. Since vascular tone is reduced, raising the head will lead to an outflow of blood from the brain cells and the restoration of blood supply to the brain will not occur.
Providing assistance in case of loss of consciousness is usually not much different from measures to bring a person out of fainting. The patient must be removed from the area of influence damaging factors, unbuttoning his clothes to provide air access, laying him horizontally, shaking or trying to lift the patient is not recommended. If nosebleeds occur, the individual should be placed on his side. It is impossible to give water to a person who is unconscious, since his reflexes, including swallowing, are absent. The patient may choke if you try to force him to drink. If the individual has not regained consciousness after one hundred and twenty seconds, then he must be hospitalized.
Fainting rarely occurs suddenly. It often follows presyncope symptoms, which include rapidly increasing nausea, dizziness, tinnitus and blurred vision. All of the above is observed against the background of general weakness. Sometimes yawning and sweating may occur. The human epidermis acquires a waxy pallor. After which muscle relaxation is noted, the individual switches off and settles down. From the moment of discovering the first signs of poor health to the fall, most often, no more than sixty seconds pass. Therefore, first aid for loss of consciousness should begin immediately after the appearance of the onset precursors. After all, often the etiological factor is unknown.
It is impossible for an individual who has regained consciousness to independently administer medications, in particular, nitroglycerin for complaints of cardiac algia. Since such actions can cause a drop in pressure, which will cause repeated fainting. Often, loss of consciousness occurs against the background of a sharp drop in pressure, during which any nitrate-containing substances are completely contraindicated.
Loss of consciousness is considered a rather threatening symptom, indicating the presence of a serious pathology in the body. Therefore, assistance in case of loss of consciousness should be provided immediately. A person assisting in a loss of consciousness does not have time to panic. After all, any delay often carries a serious threat to the life of the victim.
Diagnosing loss of consciousness is not difficult. It is enough just to note the presence of such phenomena as lack of response to external stimuli, including pain, complete immobility, excluding convulsions. However, determining the etiological factor is often difficult.
To facilitate the task of diagnosing syncope, doctors use all known modern science research methods. The diagnostic process begins with a study of the anamnesis, which allows us to identify the presence of pathologies that can cause loss of consciousness, determine the use of pharmacopoeial drugs that lower blood pressure or affect the functioning of the nervous system, and, if possible, determine the provoking phenomenon, for example, physical overexertion, rapid rise from a lying position , being in a stuffy room, heat.
From laboratory research First of all, blood is drawn:
- for carrying out general analysis to detect the presence of anemia;
- to determine the concentration of glucose (this analysis allows you to determine the presence of hyper- or hypoglycemia);
- to identify indicators of blood O2 saturation (helps to identify disorders that interfere with normal oxygenation).
Various instrumental studies are also carried out:
- electrocardiogram, which allows you to determine the presence of heart blockades and arrhythmias;
- a type of electrocardiogram - daily monitoring of myocardial rhythm;
- ultrasound examination of the heart muscle, which helps to detect changes in cardiac contractility of the heart and determine the condition of the valves;
- Dopplerography of the carotid capillaries, which helps to establish barriers to blood flow;
- computed tomography to detect brain pathologies;
- magnetic resonance imaging aimed at identifying damaged segments of brain tissue.
In order not to encounter the disorder in question in life, it is necessary to take preventive measures.
To prevent syncope ideal solution are regular physical exercise, which optimize natural blood circulation and strengthen blood capillaries. It must be taken into account that any stress on the body, first of all, must be regulated and moderate. There is no need to try to break Olympic records in the first lesson. The main thing here is systematicity, not intensity. In addition, an evening promenade will not only minimize the risk of loss of consciousness, but will also increase the body’s overall resistance to various ailments and stress.
Aromatherapy also occupies an important position in the list of preventive measures. Regular aromatherapy helps relieve convulsions, spasms, improve blood circulation, and saturate the blood with O2.
In addition to the listed preventive measures, there are measures aimed at avoiding fainting when you feel the warning signs. If numbness of the limbs, nausea, or cold sweat suddenly appears, then you need to quickly take a lying position, raising your legs up, or sit down, lowering your head below knee level. Then you should remove from the neck area any objects that interfere with free breathing (tie, scarf). After relief, it is recommended to drink water or sweet tea.
