I am sharing my personal experience of having fainting symptoms.

There was a time in my life when I fainted for the first time, which was during my early pregnancy when I couldn't eat much due to morning sickness.

It was the day of the five-day market in my hometown, and I went to the market with my husband. While walking, I suddenly felt nauseous and dizzy, and my vision went dark. I only managed to say "dizzy" before my face turned pale, and I lost consciousness, collapsing and fainting on the street.

 

Fortunately, my husband was beside me, and he held me as we entered any shop in the market. He laid me down in a corner, massaged my arms and legs, and I heard that some people around us were pricking my fingers with needles and causing a commotion.

After some time had passed, I started to regain consciousness while yawning, and the symptoms I had felt before fainting, such as nausea and dizziness, had disappeared. The only thing left was a pale face.

I was sweating so much that my clothes were completely soaked.

 

It seemed like my body had almost returned to normal, but I still thought it would be best to see a doctor. I went to a nearby hospital for blood pressure and electrocardiogram tests, and there were no particular abnormalities. They said that the fainting (syncope) caused by autonomic nervous system imbalance was due to nutritional deficiency from morning sickness and blood circulation issues caused by pregnancy.

I was relieved because my husband was beside me.

What would it have been like if I had experienced such a thing alone?

Ugh~ It's really terrifying just to think about it.

Since it was a five-day market, there were a lot of people coming and going, and I fainted among them, so I felt embarrassed and ashamed.

I haven't been able to go to the market for a while since then.

Since then, I have not experienced any fainting episodes.

Even now, I occasionally talk with my husband about that time.

That was your chance to get married once more back then, so you must have felt regretful, right?

Then he laughs and says, "You know, I was so surprised at that time, I thought I was going to faint."

 

Fainting, also known as syncope, collapse, unconsciousness, or coma, refers to a temporary loss of consciousness caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain.

There are various causes of fainting, but summarizing a few of them,

When experiencing iron deficiency, chronic fatigue, gas poisoning, external trauma, heatstroke, or heat exhaustion.

When experiencing symptoms related to heart abnormalities such as arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, or cardiomyopathy; when orthostatic hypotension occurs; or due to side effects of medications.

And when I experienced vasovagal syncope (fainting).

You may faint.

 

Vasovagal syncope refers to suddenly losing consciousness and collapsing, and it is said to be the most common case of fainting.

It is said that there is no problem with the heart itself, but due to external factors, a temporary imbalance of the autonomic nervous system occurs, leading to loss of consciousness and fainting.

A sealed space with stale air. Sitting for a long time in a hot place.

When standing or sitting. Nauseating smells, terrible sights, severe pain, and various external stimuli activate the vagus nerve system, causing fainting.

I feel pre-symptoms before fainting, and they are similar to the symptoms I experienced.

 

It is best to avoid triggers that cause fainting, but if symptoms like dizziness and lightheadedness occur and fainting is expected, sit on the floor or squat with knees bent to prevent injury from falling.

If you can lie down, elevating your legs higher than your body can prevent a sudden decrease in blood flow.

 

And if fainting or losing consciousness recurs, be sure to visit the hospital and consider your past medical history and clinical findings to evaluate various possibilities.

It is important to conduct diagnostic tests to identify the cause and receive medication treatment.