Bollywood hottie Katrina Kaif faints on the sets of Tees Maar Khan. American performer Lady Gaga collapses backstage.
Bollywood hottie Katrina Kaif faints on the sets of Tees Maar Khan. American performer Lady Gaga collapses backstage.
Last week, two glamorous ladies succumbed to pressure. Katrina Kaif fainted on the sets of Farah Khan's forthcoming film Tees Maar Khan when her blood pressure dropped.
International pop sensation Lady Gaga burst into tears before the launch of her tour in Manchester, and had to postpone her US show dates after passing out backstage from exhaustion.
Kats and Gaga: one ruling the Indian film industry while the other grabbing international music awards and attention with equal aplomb.
These beauties are inflicted by a lifestyle ailment faced by majority of today's young, overworked, exhausted professionals.
Experts point out that the reasons for frequent fainting bouts are clear exertion, lack of sleep, and inadequateu00a0 nutrition. A combination of these deadly factors leads to the obvious a blackout.
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So, it's important that once those calories are burned, they should eat something. If they don't, they drop into hypo-glycemia, a condition where blood-sugar levels drop drastically, which leads to fainting," explains Dr Deepti Mansharamani, chief medical officer with Breach Candy Hospital.
The other most common reason for fainting is low blood pressure, which happens due to excessive sweating since the body loses essential salts. However, fainting can also be indicative of a grave health problem, so don't take it lightly especially if you are prone to fainting spells.
Nutritionist Naini Setalvad suggests a simple solution: "Eat every two hours and make sure you stock up on leafy vegetables." Setalvad pleads that chasing the size zero goal is not the way to go.
She gives her own example, "Nearly 10 years ago, I weighed 160 kgs and had also succumbed to crash diets, which led to fainting spells.
But soon realisation dawned on me that weight loss might give me a huge high, but not at the cost of my life."
The nutritionist recommends consumption of foods with low glycemic levels, includingu00a0apricots, raisins, pistachios or peanuts, to be consumed within short intervals.
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International Pop Diva Lady Gaga |
Step back and relax
Katrina fainted because she had been exerting herself despite a recent visit to the hospital, complaining of a back and stomach ache clear signs of exhaustion.
Lady Gaga too had been pushing herself to the brink; slogging away non-stop for the past 18 months on her world tour.
How many times have you found yourself in a similar situation where you keep pushing yourself to complete a project at hand, forgoing meals and sleep to meet the deadline? If your answer is "often", then it's time to pause and take control.
Finishing a project before time might impress your boss and lead to a favourable appraisal, but at what cost? Experts say that over-exertion among young professionals is the main reason that leads to frequent fainting spells.
"Fatigue is a party pooper. In today's highly competitive world, professionals are neglecting basic body requirements.
Everybody isn't blessed with high resistance levels, so you have to know your boundaries," explains psychologist Varkha Chulani.
Sleep right
Fitness expert Ravish Dobani explains that there are three basic co-related aspects that one needs to take care of, in order to lead a healthy life.
"Always have a good night's sleep, eat well and don't forget to exercise. It's as simple as that," explains Dobani.
Young professionals are prone to fainting spells because they clock in late hours and rush to work early the next morning, leaving them with little time to eat, sleep, or for recreation.
This pattern eventually leads to exhaustion.
Then there are those who overexert themselves at the gym. "Ideally, fitness should be a combination of various activities. Most pumped-up celebrities are physically weak.
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If you are planning to modify your lifestyle to stay healthy, do it sensibly. What is the point of looking like Salman Khan when you can't even catch a bus?" questions Dobani.
Causes of fainting
Syncope is the medical term for fainting. There are six main causes for fainting.
>Vasovagal or common syncope results from an abnormal circulatory reflex. It strikes when the blood pressure or sugar levels in blood suddenly drop or increase.
>Situational syncope occurs only in particular situations, for example, while coughing in people with lung diseases.
>Postural syncope hits when a person lying down suddenly faints on standing up.
>Cardiac syncope is when a heart disease causes a person to faint.
>Neurologic syncope is where neurological problems like seizures or strokes cause loss of consciousness.
>Psychogenic syncope is when people faint due to hyperventilation from an anxiety disorder. Fainting on watching blood or gore, for example.
Doctors say that except for Vasovagal syncope, a person who faints because of any other reason should get a medical check-up at the earliest.
Tell-tale signs that you will give in to exhaustion
>Weakness >Hyper-breathing >Headache >Dizziness >Black out, when everything
suddenly turns dark and you are unable to see anything >Inability to balance or hold oneself
What can you do to help the patient?
Dr Mansharamani gives a list of dos and don'ts
>First try reviving the person either by calling out his/her name or gently tapping them or sprinkling water.
>Once the person is revived, ask if she/he is epileptic or suffers from diabetes or a heart problem. If yes, the person might know what medication to take or might need to be taken to the hospital.
>If the person is responding to basic questions, then in all probability they needn't be taken to the hospital.
>Do not force water into the mouth as it might lead to further complications.
>Give the person a small piece of jaggery or glucose once she/he has been revived and is
responding well.
The heat's gonna get you
Dr Mansharamani recalls how only a few days earlier she saw a man get out of an overcrowded train and collapse on the station.
The doctor helped the unconscious man get back to his feet in a few minutes.
"The young man had fainted because of the heat and stuffiness inside the train compartment. This is bound to happen in the coming months with temperatures soaring," she warns.
Those who have field jobs are particularly prone to fainting spells in the summer.
"Drink kachchi kairi ka panha, coconut water or buttermilk to keep yourself hydrated and ensure that the body gets its supply of salts," she suggests.
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For those with a never-ending craving for Pani Puri, this is the best excuse. "Pani Puri has cumin seeds, raw mango, mint and jaggery right ingredients to keep the summer heat at bay."
Energisers to keep handy
>Dry fruits like prunes or apricots
>Nuts like pistachios, cashew nuts and peanuts
>Fruits like banana or mango
>A piece of jaggery
>Also, always carry a bottle of water or nimbu paani with you
Acupressure to revive the faint-hearted
Trainer Ravish Dobani says that there's an acupressure technique which requires one to apply adequate pressure at a particular point on the sole (see picture on right) to revive a person who has fainted.
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"Once you find the exact spot on the sole, it is a sure-shot way to get them on their feet," says the trainer.
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