KyleKIR Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 (edited) I was just reading about Syncope (fainting) & how it is due to a temp. reduction in blood flow which causes a shortage of oxygen to the brain which leads to light headedness or a "black out" ....which I think it also said you recover pretty quickly. Sometimes I'll be laying down.. and if I get up too fast I feel light headed for a second, so I grab something to keep stable then take a deep breath and I'm fine again. (I'm sure you guys have experienced it as well) One time an only once.. have I actually blacked out from this. (I woke up one morning and jumped out of bed.. next thing you know I'm walking down my hallway and I black out) luckily my elbow broke my fall and I was alright.. I got up and laughed.. thinking "damn" well anyways my question is... is that standing up quick and feeling light headed like you're going to pass out related to Syncope? Or is it something else that causes that? I'm just curious because I've experienced this feeling quite a few times & know people who have as well. When talking about it with friends we could never say what its called or why it happens because we don't know. Now my guess is its Syncope, but I want to ask you guys first to be sure. Edited September 21, 2010 by KyleKIR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireflightmedic1 Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 When you "jump up" without first sitting upright slowly your blodd tends to follow gravity which is down, which in turn causes the reduction in blood flow to the brain so lack of oxygen so brain gets mad and shuts the body down... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakingpatience Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 This could be attributed to orthostatic hypotension. That is when your BP is fine when you are sitting/ laying down, but when you get up quickly, your BP suddenly decreases, causing you to be hypotensive, which causes the light headedness or dizziness. Unless it happens all the time, or you have had a recent trauma or illness, it usually isn't anything to be to concerned about. It happens to me from time to time, usually when I am feeling dehydrated. The mayo clinic has a good link about orthostatic hypotension, you can google that and find all their info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERBIE1 Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 I was just reading about Syncope (fainting) & how it is due to a temp. reduction in blood flow which causes a shortage of oxygen to the brain which leads to light headedness or a "black out" ....which I think it also said you recover pretty quickly. Sometimes I'll be laying down.. and if I get up too fast I feel light headed for a second, so I grab something to keep stable then take a deep breath and I'm fine again. (I'm sure you guys have experienced it as well) One time an only once.. have I actually blacked out from this. (I woke up one morning and jumped out of bed.. next thing you know I'm walking down my hallway and I black out) luckily my elbow broke my fall and I was alright.. I got up and laughed.. thinking "damn" well anyways my question is... is that standing up quick and feeling light headed like you're going to pass out related to Syncope? Or is it something else that causes that? I'm just curious because I've experienced this feeling quite a few times & know people who have as well. When talking about it with friends we could never say what its called or why it happens because we don't know. Now my guess is its Syncope, but I want to ask you guys first to be sure. Tons of reasons for syncope, and as was mentioned below, what you describe is classic orthostatic hypotension. In a healthy person, it's generally because you may be dehydrated. Without getting too technical, a simple explanation is when you stand up, your blood vessels constrict to force more blood return to your heart. If your blood volume is low(dehydration) the vessels can only do so much, and you do not get adequate blood flow to your brain, causing a momentary feeling of lightheadedness. Generally your body will quickly compensate by increasing your heart rate, and restoring adequate blood flow to the brain. Obviously medications and disease processes complicate and affect this, but increasing (noncaffienated) fluid intake is the easy answer for a healthy person. When we take orthostatic vital signs on a person, we compare the BP and pulse in a sitting/supine vs standing position. In a person who has significant internal bleeding or dehydration, etc, we can see an increase in pulse rate upon standing, a rise in their respiratory rate, or a drop in their BP if their body is not properly compensating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleKIR Posted September 21, 2010 Author Share Posted September 21, 2010 Thanks a lot guys, You've helped me understand what I was trying to figure out & what causes orthostatic hypotension. I've even learned a few things. I'll def. check out the mayo clinic and see what else I can learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B the EMT Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 The one common part of "simple syncope", no matter what the cause (stood up too fast, the "bad news" telegram), the best cure is, lay the patient down flat, or with the feet elevated a bit, and they usually come around shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERBIE1 Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 The one common part of "simple syncope", no matter what the cause (stood up too fast, the "bad news" telegram), the best cure is, lay the patient down flat, or with the feet elevated a bit, and they usually come around shortly. Thanks, Richard. Back to the basics. Shame on me for not putting that out there at the very onset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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