Fainting First Aid: What to Do Before and After Someone Faints

Fainting is a brief loss of consciousness caused by a drop in blood flow to the brain. It is common in queues, at prayer, in hot car parks and at the sight of blood — and occasionally it is the first sign of something serious. The first aid course covers both.

Warning signs

Light-headedness, feeling hot, nausea, sweating, tunnel vision or ringing in the ears. Acting on these can prevent the fall.

Stopping a faint

Get them down before they fall. Physical counter-pressure — crossing and squeezing the legs, tensing the buttocks, or gripping the hands and pulling the arms apart — raises blood pressure and can abort a faint.

After a faint

• Keep them lying down; most wake within seconds.
• Check for injuries from the fall — see head injury.
• Give water once they are fully awake; if they have diabetes, see diabetic emergencies.
• Let them sit, then stand, slowly.

Faints that need 998

• Not waking within a minute or two.
• Fainting during exercise, or while lying down.
• Chest pain, palpitations or breathlessness.
• A serious injury from the fall.
• Pregnancy.

If they are unresponsive and not breathing normally, it is not a faint — start CPR (chain of survival).

Heat

In summer, fainting can be part of heat illness; move them somewhere cool.

This guide summarises first aid for the public and does not replace training or medical advice. In an emergency in the UAE call 998 for an ambulance.

More First Aid guides: Emergency-by-emergency first aid

• First Aid Course in Abu Dhabi — dates, format and booking
• Severe Bleeding First Aid: Pressure, Tourniquets and Packing
• Burns First Aid: Cool, Cover, and When a Burn Needs Hospital
• Heat Stroke vs Heat Exhaustion: First Aid for UAE Summers
• Anaphylaxis First Aid: Recognising a Severe Allergic Reaction
• Asthma Attack First Aid: Helping With a Reliever Inhaler
• Heart Attack First Aid: Warning Signs and What to Do
• Stroke First Aid: The FAST Test and Why Time Matters
• Seizure First Aid: Keep Them Safe, Time It, and When to Call 998
• Low Blood Sugar First Aid: Helping in a Diabetic Emergency
• Fractures and Sprains First Aid: Support, Cold and When to Call
• Head Injury and Concussion First Aid: Danger Signs to Watch For
• Poisoning First Aid: Swallowed, Inhaled and Skin Exposures
• Bites and Stings First Aid: Scorpions, Snakes, Bees and Jellyfish
• Drowning First Aid: Safe Rescue, Breathing and Pool Safety
• Eye Injury First Aid: Chemicals, Dust and Objects in the Eye
• Electric Shock First Aid: Make It Safe Before You Touch
• First Aid Kit Checklist for Home, Car and Workplace
• All First Aid guides, by topic

Other life support and first aid courses: BLS Course · ACLS Course · PALS Course · Training calendar

Frequently asked questions

What should you do if someone faints?

Keep them lying down, check breathing, look for injuries and let them get up slowly.

Can you stop yourself fainting?

Lying down and tensing the leg, buttock and arm muscles can help.

When is fainting an emergency?

If they do not wake quickly, fainted during exercise, have chest pain or palpitations, or are injured.

Should I give water after fainting?

Only once they are fully awake.

Is fainting common in the heat?

Yes, check for heat illness.

Sources and further reading

What we teach follows the awarding body and the UAE health authorities. For the definitive position on a course or licensing question, these are the places to check.

• Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED — American Heart Association
• CPR and ECC Guidelines — American Heart Association

Last reviewed 21 September 2026 by the training team at Safety First Medical Services, an American Heart Association training centre at Addax Office Tower, Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi. Call +971 55 761 9841 or email training@safetyfirstmed.ae.