Chest pain, trouble breathing, sudden weakness on one side, a fit or heavy bleeding needs help now, not an appointment.

112Any emergency108Ambulance102Pregnancy and newborn
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Brain, fits and fainting

Fainting

Also called fainting, behosh, chakkar aakar girna, blackout, collapse brief

What you are dealing with

A brief blackout because the brain did not get enough blood for a moment. Most people come round within a minute of lying flat.

Do this, in this order

  1. Lay the person flat on their back and raise their legs about thirty centimetres on a bag or a chair.
  2. Loosen tight clothing at the neck and waist, and let fresh air in.
  3. Once awake, keep them lying down for a few more minutes before sitting them up slowly.
  4. Give sips of water once they are fully alert and able to swallow.
  5. Ask what happened just before. Standing for a long time, heat, pain or the sight of blood are the usual harmless causes.

Never do this

  • Do not sit them up or stand them up quickly, which usually makes them faint again.
  • Do not crowd around them or splash water on the face.
  • Do not give anything to drink until they are properly awake.
  • Do not dismiss it if it happened during exercise or while lying down.

Call an ambulance if

  • They do not wake up within a minute
  • They fainted during exertion, while lying down, or with chest pain, breathlessness or palpitations
  • They are pregnant, elderly, diabetic, or have a known heart condition
  • They injured themselves as they fell, especially the head
Call 112 nowCall 108 ambulance

After the emergency

Get it looked at properly

First aid buys time, it does not finish the job. Most of these situations need a doctor to check what happened, prevent infection, and decide whether anything more is needed.

Consult a doctorCheck a symptom instead

Get care for this

Doctors and care for fainting

Verified Teleprac doctors you can see online or in a clinic, lab tests with home sample collection, and genuine medicines delivered to your door.

See all first aid topics

Important. This page is general first aid education and cannot replace a hands on first aid course or professional emergency care. Techniques taught by the Indian Red Cross, St John Ambulance and similar bodies are worth a single day of your life. In an emergency, call 112 or 108 first and follow what the operator tells you, because they can see your location and know what is on the way.

Call 112 Ambulance 108

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Emergency numbers in India

Save these in your phone now, not when you need them. Tap any number to call it.

112Any emergencyOne number for police, fire and ambulance across India108AmbulanceFree emergency ambulance in most states and union territories102Pregnancy and newbornAmbulance for mothers and babies in most states14416Mental health supportTele MANAS, free counselling every hour of the day, many languages1800 116 117Poisoning or overdoseNational Poisons Information Centre, AIIMS New Delhi1098Child in distressChildline India, free and confidential

Where to read more

Public health sources written for patients rather than for doctors, and kept up to date.

Ministry of Health and Family WelfareOfficial Indian health programmes, advisories and public guidanceWorld Health Organization health topicsGlobal fact sheets written for the public, on hundreds of topicsNHS health A to ZPlain language pages on symptoms, conditions, tests and treatmentsMedlinePlusPatient information from the United States National Library of MedicineTele MANASIndia's national mental health support service, free and available all day

Important: Everything in Teleprac patient resources is general health education. It does not give you a diagnosis and it cannot replace examination by a qualified doctor, because it does not know your age, your reports, your pregnancy or the other medicines you take. Please do not start, stop or change any medicine on your own. Teleprac Healthcare is not liable for decisions made on the basis of this information. In an emergency, call your local emergency number or go to the nearest hospital immediately.