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Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Recent Blog Articles. Bring a friend or family member to donate with you to help you stay relaxed and pass the time quickly. Give yourself plenty of time for your next donation, both before and after.
Make sure you stay hydrated and have plenty to eat. Give yourself a well-deserved break! Check out tips for how much water to drink the day before you donate, and the day you donate.
After registering at reception, drink two glasses of water while you wait to go into your interview. Not only should you stay hydrated throughout the day, but these extra two glasses help to increase your blood pressure by stretching your stomach wall. When your red blood cells are being returned, they carry with them a tiny amount of citrate. This is not harmful, but it can cause a drop in your calcium levels. Some people experience a metallic taste or numbness and tingling sensations in their lips, and it can also cause you to feel faint.
We'll have some calcium tablets ready the next time you come in for your plasma donation. One of the best and easiest ways to stay well during and after your donation is to do muscle tensing exercises. Do these exercises before the needle goes in or comes out, and before getting up from the donation chair. Our staff are there to help. If you have any concerns or would just like to have a chat, please speak up! And be sure to let us know what happened last time. After finishing your donation, take some time to relax in the donation chair to let your body adjust to the volume loss.
It is best to stay for an extra 5 minutes in the chair to make sure you are feeling okay before slowly getting up. Moving too quickly from a reclined position to an upright position can cause you to feel faint or dizzy.
Overheating or standing up for long periods lowers your blood pressure and increases your risk of feeling faint. So, for about 8 hours after you donate, avoid hot showers, strenuous exercises or walking for long periods. Keep drinking plenty of cool fluids, and avoid alcoholic drinks for those 8 hours. After you donate, don't forget to celebrate what you've achieved. However, my friends and family members have been able to donate an entire pint of blood in one sitting without passing out.
I have never been able to understand how some people are able to lose such large amounts of blood with little to no effect while my body cannot handle losing only 3 to 10 milliliters. First- we should establish what fainting is. The low blood pressure in turn causes a decrease of blood reaching the brain, thus causing the affected person to lose consciousness.
According to a an article done by De Anza College, approximately , people either faint or exhibit faint like symptoms after having blood taken each year. According to an article by LiveStrong, some people are more prone to passing out after giving blood for prior health complication reasons. Diabetes, anxiety, irregular heartbeat, panic disorders, heart blockages, hypoglycemia and dehydration are all disorders directly linked to heart, endocrine systems and nervous system functions which can cause fainting.
Furthermore, if you do not eat enough and stay hydrated prior to getting blood taken, you are more likely to pass out. However, I do not suffer from any of the above indicated disorders and have been sure to stay hydrated before giving blood. In the first instance I gave blood, I was able to eat beforehand.
The second time I was not supposed to eat before giving blood. As a result, I can infer that my food intake is not a factor involved as both times I fainted, independent of whether or not I ate. As a result- I am still left questioning why my body is so unable to handle blood loss. If I were to design an experiment in order to conduct further research, I would design an experiment in which I would study my blood cells and analyze the protein molecule hemoglobin in my blood.
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