Two of the most common triggers for fainting are low blood sugar levels and low blood pressure.
Low blood sugar occurs when glucose is not properly maintained in our blood. Severe hypoglycaemia can produce a feeling faint or a fainting episode. It is useful to predict the common warning signs and symptoms of hypoglycaemia so that you can address this imbalance before it progresses. I often ask people, ‘how do you feel if you miss a meal?’. Common hypoglycaemia answers include ‘cranky’, ‘tired’, ‘weak’ and ‘stay away from me until I get some food!’. If this sounds like you, the most important strategy is to balance your diet and eat small, frequent meals. Foods rich in protein (meat, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products, lentils and pulses, nuts and seeds) will keep your blood sugar levels stable for longer. Make sure you avoid refined and sugary foods as whilst they will give you a quick lift, they will aggravate blood sugar lows. Nutrients such as Chromium, Magnesium and B Vitamins are useful additions to help stabilise sugar levels.
Low blood pressure is actually more common than you realise. When a person gets up too quickly from bed they can feel very dizzy, fatigued and disoriented. A common cause of low blood pressure is anaemia so make sure you get your blood levels checked and increase food sources of Iron and B vitamins (meat, lentils, green leafy vegetables). Supplementation of Iron should only be taken following blood tests and recommendation from a health professional.
