Fear of Needles: Top Tips to Avoid Fainting During Your Next Blood Draw

Do you get nervous every time you have to give a blood sample? According to research, the biggest reason most people are scared of blood draws isn’t pain or seeing blood. In fact, it’s the fear of fainting during or after the home blood Draw services MD, affecting 15% of the adult population worldwide.

Are you scared that you’ll faint the next time you give a blood test? Here are some tips to help you.

What Causes Fainting During Blood Draws?

Before we discuss the preventive measures to avoid fainting during a blood draw, it’s essential to identify the causes beforehand. The most common cause for fainting during blood draw is neurally mediated syncope. Also known as a vasovagal response or vasovagal syncope, this cause of fainting is common in children and young adults.

But how does vasovagal syncope affect people giving blood samples through needles? In neurally mediated syncope, a person’s mind can trigger anxiety or emotional distress at the sight of a needle or blood. This anxiety results in your blood pressure dropping, leading to the heart pumping and supplying less oxygen to the brain. Whenever people faint from blood draw (the percentage is relatively less), they might receive minor cuts or injuries, which medical experts consider harmless in most cases.

How Do You Determine You Will Faint? 

The symptoms of a vasovagal response aren’t that prominent, but we recommend looking out for every little change in your body to prevent fainting in your next blood draw. Before a vasovagal response, your body will appear pale, and you might feel lightheaded.

In addition, your vision can get blurry. Nausea, cold sweat, or feeling extreme heat are also signs of a vasovagal syncope about to affect your body. Moreover, other people around you can also notice some signs, including pupil dilation, weak pulse, and increasing random and jerky movements.

How to Prevent Fainting During Your Next Blood Draw?

Now that you know the primary cause of fainting during blood draws, it’s time for you to take preventive steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Here are some tips to prevent fainting at your next blood draw.

• Try crossing your legs or tensing your muscles when you notice the signs of vasovagal response during a blood draw.
• Lie down and elevate your legs to stretch your muscles and get your body in a resting position.
• Eat a healthy meal before giving a blood sample.
• Keep your body hydrated. Start drinking ample amounts of water at least 24 hours before the blood draw session.
• Reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption before the blood draw.
• Wear elastic leg stockings to prevent blood from collecting in your legs, resulting in proper blood flow to the brain.

Besides taking the steps mentioned above, we recommend hiring a mobile blood draw service provider. At Phlebotomy On Wheels, we offer home blood draw services in MD, where our expert phlebotomists VA make blood collection a more comfortable experience for you. You can give a blood test from the comfort of your bed, minimizing the risk of fainting.

Reach out to us and try in home phlebotomy services VA for your next blood test.