Have you ever thought about how to make yourself pass out deliberately? If you have, it may be for a number of different reasons. For example, you may want to practice your acting skills or you may want to prank someone. You may even wish to get out of a sticky situation.
But before you do so, know that fainting or passing out is a brief loss of consciousness. When a fainting spell occurs, the person usually falls down and loses muscle tone. Soon after they are lying down, most people will recover.
What Are The Causes Of Fainting?
Here is a rundown of some of the most typical causes of fainting.
- Fainting occurs when there is a reduced blood supply to the brain.
- The same can also happen when there is disturbance in neuronal signaling.
- Some people may also faint because of pressure on their pressure points or from a lack of food or water.
- Some people may feel dizzy or faint if there is a sudden change in posture such as standing up suddenly.
- For some people fainting may occur from the use of certain medications. This can typically involve drugs used for high blood pressure, anxiety, allergies or nasal congestion. These drugs can prompt a fainting spell by causing a drop in blood pressure.
Someone who faints naturally will often gain consciousness quickly as the blood circulation returns to normal. Typically the fainting episode may go on for a few seconds to a few minutes.
It is important to remember that fainting is actually the body’s way to reboot itself and get you out of danger. If anything, it is an emergency response to a critical situation.
Passing out once in a while is not cause for alarm, but repeated spells need medical help. Fainting may be a sign of a serious problem when it happens in a short period of time or during physical activity. You may also need to report it to your doctor if there is any blood loss or you experience chest pain. Fainting that is associated with heart palpitations also needs to be evaluated by a medical professional.
But whatever your reasons may be for making yourself pass out, you need to be careful doing so. Faking unconsciousness can create a sensation of light headedness which if not regulated, can be dangerous.
How to Make Yourself Pass Out
Forcing yourself to pass out is neither sensible nor recommended. But, if you need to, then practice these steps with caution and you will be able to faint quickly:
Hyperventilate
Taking deep breaths while you sit out the ground will help you burn out oxygen. Also known as hyperventilation, this action refers to breathing really fast. Hyperventilation also involves exhaling more than you inhale so that the healthy balance between breathing in and breathing out gets disturbed.
As a result, hyperventilation causes a rapid reduction in blood supply to the brain. This can lead to symptoms like light headedness and tingling while severe hyperventilation can lead to a loss of consciousness.
To make yourself pass out, hyperventilate for a minute or so and then stand up. Make it a point to stop breathing when you do so. Once you have gotten up, you can then start to spin in a circular motion to burn out more oxygen. You can also run around to get the same effect.
When you continue to do this, you will soon experience dizziness or some blurred vision before you ultimately tip over. Doing all of this can help you lose consciousness fairly quickly.
Hold Your Breath
This is another way in which you can make yourself pass out. Basically, this method will also help you deprive yourself of oxygen and cause you to faint.
To follow this method, hold your breath for as long as you can. Most people will not be able to do this for very long and will experience oxygen shortage very quickly. This will cause the brain to go into crisis mode making you feel light headed and unsteady before you faint. By holding your breath, you are depriving the body of oxygen that it needs to function normally.
Having said that, there are actually training techniques to let you hold your breath for long periods of time. These can include deep breathing and holding your breath. These techniques act as practice runs that allow the body to become accustomed to the sensation of going without air.
These techniques can actually help people go without air underwater while diving or surfing.
Skip Meals
You can also bring about a fainting episode by not eating. This will take a toll on your body and can assist you in making you pass out quickly.
Because sugar is fuel that the body needs, any shortfall will have huge consequences. Skipping meals or not eating at all will cause a drop in the body’s blood sugar levels. The immediate effect is feeling tired and foggy. Going for extended periods of time without replenishing the body’s fuel supply will force it to sap your strength.
Smoke Inhalation
Sounds scary? Well, it probably is! However, in your efforts to make yourself pass out, inhaling some smoke might get you the desired effect.
Smoke inhalation occurs when you breathe in a considerable amount of smoke, say from cigarettes. Cigarette smoke affects a number of body parts when inhaled. For example, it impacts everything from your mouth down to your throat and into your lungs.
The smoke that is inhaled contains tar, a sticky, black resinous substance which is highly toxic and carcinogenic. When smoke travels into your lungs, it impairs the natural cleansing mechanisms of the lungs. This action has the effect of causing breathlessness, fatigue and dizziness.
Cigarette smoke also contains carbon monoxide which is instantly absorbed in the bloodstream. There it binds with hemoglobin and takes the place of oxygen. It is this effect of inhaling smoke that will eventually make you lose consciousness.
Standing Up Quickly
If you stand up really quickly after crouching, sitting or even lying down, there will be a blood rush to the brain. This swift action can also make you pass out. When you have been in any of these positions for some time, the sudden standing movement can cause the brain to be momentarily knocked off its equilibrium.
This can make you lightheaded and cause you to pass out momentarily. If you are also dehydrated or hungry at this time, the light headedness will be more intense. The same can also happen if the air is too hot or humid.
As you feel dizzy upon standing up, your vision may also go dark. Some people may experience spots or bright lights before their eyes as they feel the head rush.
What Is Pretend Fainting?
Pretend fainting is mimicking a real fainting spell. It may be practiced for a theatrical effect or to make an impression. In this case you will not need to resort to any of the above mentioned tips. Instead you can wholly rely on your acting abilities to create a scene. But before you can learn how to pretend to make yourself pass out, you should know what to mimic in a fainting spell.
For starters, familiarize yourself with the symptoms of fainting. You should know that a person who faints experiences many symptoms. Some of these include feeling hot, dizzy or weak. Others are more about feeling lightheaded, confused or hyperventilating.
Some people also experience a ringing in their ears or a temporary loss of hearing.
For your pretend fainting to be effective, you will need to transfer all these symptoms into your acting skills. To do this you need to keep a few things in mind.
Always Have Someone Around
It is highly recommended that you have someone around when you pretend to make yourself pass out. The primary reason for this is that your accomplice can ensure your safety by keeping an eye on you.
Also, having an associate around will prevent other people from calling an ambulance!
Set Up a Scene
If you want to execute pretend fainting in front of an audience, you will also need to select a scenario for your fainting episode. Since low blood pressure and restricted blood flow to the brain could be possible reasons for fainting, use these to set up a scene.
Other possibilities like skipping meals or waiting too long between meals can trigger low blood pressure. This could also become the reason for your pretend fainting. At the same time, being dehydrated can also reduce blood flow to the brain.
You could also pretend to faint if you are in a really stuffy room.
Act It Up
If making yourself pass out is part of an act, then start by slowing your movements. Gradually slacken your pace and lower your head. This can help grab attention to you.
Then become a little bit withdrawn and quiet. Slow down the pace of your talking and pretend that your mind is elsewhere by blinking several times. At this point you can make your breathing more labored as well. Feign to be light headed and weak before falling to the floor.
Another approach to feigning fainting is to complain about symptoms. When you feel ready, you may start to exhibit some indication of fainting. You could complain about feeling hungry, nauseous, stuffy or even uncomfortably hot.
While you exhibit symptoms of passing out, try and move into a spot where it seems safest to fall.
Be Careful Where You Fall
Since it is all part of an act, you do not want to get yourself hurt as you pretend to make yourself pass out. So be cautious when you eventually fall to the floor for you do not want to hit your head when you pretend to collapse.
If you are in a standing position, buckle your knees and let go as you hit the floor with your upper body. At this point it is crucial to fall down with the right speed for the act to be convincing. For example, if you fall down too slow, it may seem that you are being cautious. And if you do it too fast, it may seem forced as well. Plus, you will likely hurt yourself in the process.
If you are in a sitting position, hang loose and let the body slump naturally to the floor. By this part of the act, you should also shut your eyes and let the body relax as if there is no support. Unwind and drop down in a heap for a realistic effect.
Keep the Act Up When On the Floor
You need to keep up your acting after falling down. When people faint in a real setting their body does not stiffen. That is what you will need to replicate while you are down.
You will also need to relax you muscles fully if someone tries to help or raise you up. Relax completely since people who are out cold have no control over their limbs.
Time Your Act
Make sure to time your act carefully. You should only pretend to pass out for a few seconds because once a person falls, their head becomes parallel to their heart. In this position, blood flow is restored instantly to the brain. As soon as that happens, the person regains consciousness.
Plan Your Exit
For a convincing performance, inhale deeply and reopen your eyes. Since people who faint suddenly may not remember what happened, pretend to do the same. You may mention something like not feeling well or feeling too hot, but nothing after that.
Pretend to recover from the episode naturally by slowly sitting up. After a bit, get up on your feet or ask for assistance. Plan to stay seated on the floor for a while since it takes some time for a person to recover from a real fainting episode.
