Fainting

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

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• Teenagers
• Older Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Fainting is a temporary loss of consciousness. If you're about to faint, you'll feel dizzy, lightheaded, or nauseous. Your field of vision may "white out" or "black out." Your skin may be cold and clammy. You lose muscle control at the same time, and may fall down.

Fainting usually happens when your blood pressure drops suddenly, causing a decrease in blood flow to your brain. It is more common in older people. Some causes of fainting include:

• Heat or dehydration
• Emotional distress
• Standing up too quickly
• Certain medicines
• Drop in blood sugar
• Heart problems

When someone faints, make sure that the airway is clear and check for breathing. The person should stay lying down for 10-15 minutes. Most people recover completely. Fainting is usually nothing to worry about, but it can sometimes be a sign of a serious problem. If you faint, it's important to see your health care provider and find out why it happened.

Start Here

• Fainting (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Syncope (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Tilt Table Test (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Fainting: First Aid (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Fainting and Vaccines (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Syncope (Fainting) (Heart Rhythm Society)

Specifics

• Fainting during Urination (Micturition Syncope): What Causes It? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Vasovagal Syncope (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Syncope (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Syncope, Vasovagal (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Clinical course in older patients diagnosed with syncope treated in Spanish...
• Article: The triggers of situational syncope do not influence the head-up tilt...
• Article: EEG signature of near-death-like experiences during syncope-induced periods of unresponsiveness.
• Fainting -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Heart Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish
• UpBeat.org (Heart Rhythm Society)

Children

• Fainting (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Dizziness and Fainting in Children and Teens (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Fainting (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Older Adults

• Fainting (Syncope) (AGS Health in Aging Foundation)

Patient Handouts

• Fainting (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish