FaintingSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Fainting
Fainting is a brief loss of consciousness due to a drop in blood flow to the brain. The episode most often lasts less than a couple of minutes and you usually recover from it quickly. The medical name for fainting is syncope.
Passed out; Lightheadedness - fainting; Syncope
When you faint, you not only lose consciousness, you also lose muscle tone and the color in your face. Before fainting, you may feel weak, sweaty, or nauseated. You may have the sense that your vision is constricting (tunnel vision) or noises are fading into the background.
Fainting may occur while or after you:
- Cough very hard
- Have a bowel movement, especially if you are straining
- Have been standing in one place for too long
- Urinate, especially at night or after lying down for a prolonged period
Fainting can also be related to:
- Emotional distress
- Fear
- Severe pain
Other causes of fainting, some of which may be more serious, include:
- Certain medicines, including those used for anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure. These medicines may cause a drop in blood pressure.
- Drug or alcohol use.
- Heart disease, such as abnormal heart rhythm, heart attack, or stroke.
- Rapid and deep breathing (hyperventilation).
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
- Seizures.
- Sudden drop in blood pressure, such as from bleeding or being severely dehydrated.
- Standing up suddenly from a lying position.
If you have a history of fainting, follow your health care provider's instructions for how to prevent fainting. For example, if you know the situations that cause you to faint, avoid or change them.
Get up from a lying or seated position slowly. If having blood drawn makes you faint, tell your provider before having a blood test. Make sure that you are lying down when the test is done.
You can use these immediate treatment steps when someone has fainted:
- Check the person's airway and breathing. If necessary, call 911 or the local emergency number and begin rescue breathing and CPR.
- Loosen tight clothing around the neck.
- Raise the person's feet above the level of their heart (about 12 inches or 30 centimeters).
- If the person has vomited, turn them on their side to prevent choking.
- Keep the person lying down for at least 10 to 15 minutes, preferably in a cool and quiet space. If this is not possible, sit the person forward with their head between their knees.
Call 911 or the local emergency number if the person who fainted:
- Fell from a height, especially if injured or bleeding
- Does not become alert quickly (within a couple of minutes)
- Is pregnant
- Is over age 50
- Has diabetes (check for medical identification bracelets)
- Feels chest pain, pressure, or discomfort
- Has a pounding or irregular heartbeat
- Has a loss of speech, vision problems, or is unable to move one or more limbs
- Has convulsions, a tongue injury, or a loss of bladder or bowel control
Even if it is not an emergency situation, you should be seen by your provider if you have never fainted before, if you faint often, or if you have new symptoms with fainting. Contact your provider for an appointment as soon as possible.
Your provider will ask questions to determine whether you simply fainted, or if something else happened (such as a seizure or heart rhythm disturbance), and to figure out the cause of the fainting episode. If someone saw the fainting episode, their description of the event may be helpful.
The physical exam will focus on your heart, lungs, and nervous system. Your blood pressure may be checked while you are in different positions, such as lying down and standing. People with a suspected arrhythmia may need to be admitted to a hospital for testing.
Tests that may be ordered include:
- Blood tests for anemia or body chemical imbalances
- Cardiac rate and rhythm monitoring (cardiac event monitor)
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- X-ray of the chest
Treatment depends on the cause of fainting.
Heart And Vascular Center At Durham Outpatient Center
John Windle is a Cardiologist and a Cardiac Electrophysiologist practicing medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. He has been practicing medicine for over 47 years. Dr. Windle is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Fainting. He is also highly rated in 37 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Familial Ventricular Tachycardia, Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT), His Bundle Tachycardia, Cardiac Ablation, and Pacemaker Implantation.
Texas Health Heart And Vascular Specialists
Matthew Dickson, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C., is fellowship-trained and board-certified in internal medicine, cardiac CT, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, and cardiology. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., with a bachelor's degree in biology before going on to receive his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City. He completed his internal medicine internship and residency at Duke University in Durham, N.C., and fellowships in cardiology and advanced multimodality cardiovascular imaging at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.Dr. Dickson's areas of special interest include cardiovascular risks in women after menopause, echocardiography, cardiovascular imaging, ambulatory monitoring and exercise testing. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, American Society for Preventive Cardiology and North American Society for Cardiovascular Imaging. When not caring for the heart-health needs of his patients, Dr. Dickson enjoys jogging, skiing, scuba diving and playing the trumpet. . Dr. Dickson is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Fainting. He is also highly rated in 45 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Aortic Regurgitation, Pediatric Myocarditis, Necrosis, and Fainting.
Tower Health Medical Group Cardiology - Phoenixville
. Dr. Ledley is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Fainting. He is also highly rated in 31 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Heart Attack, Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (IST), Ectopic Heartbeat, and Familial Ventricular Tachycardia. Dr. Ledley is board certified in American Board Of Internal Medicine.
Summary: multicenter prospective randomized controlled comparison of biofeedback with tilt table testing (investigational management strategy) vs biofeedback without tilt table testing (reference management strategy) in patients with certain/highly likely vasovagal syncope
Summary: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is an iatrogenic complication following a dural puncture, which may occur after lumbar puncture, spinal or epidural anesthesia. These headaches are defined as positional headaches, which worsen in the upright position and improve in the supine position, occurring within 5 days after a dural puncture. PDPH is disabling, particularly in the postpartum period and i...
Published Date: May 19, 2025
Published By: Jacob Berman, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Olgin JE. Approach to the patient with suspected arrhythmia. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 49.
Probst M. Syncope. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 11.
Winkel D, Cassimatis D. Episodic impairment of consciousness. In: Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, Pomeroy SL, Newman NJ, eds. Bradley and Daroff's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 2.