The first thing to do to determine if a person is sleeping or unconscious is to check if they are reactive. Try talking to her, shaking her gently, or making a loud noise. If he does not wake up, check his breathing promptly and if there are any symptoms that may indicate that the person has fainted, for example if they have had an episode of incontinence. If the person has been unconscious for more than a minute, put the person on their side and call 911. Contact the emergency health service without delay if the person is seriously injured or is not breathing.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Check if the Person is Responsive
Step 1. Talk to the person
If she is simply asleep, she will respond to certain stimuli. One way to determine if she is sleeping is to try talking to her. Kneel or bend over to get close to her ear and say her name in a normal tone of voice, tell her to open her eyes or ask her if she is hearing well. Keep trying for a few minutes or until she wakes up.
For example: "Andrea are you awake? Open your eyes if you can hear me. Andrea?"
Step 2. Shake the person gently
Put a hand on her shoulder and gently shake her. You can do this while calling her by name or asking her if she is awake. Don't move her hard, don't shake her head, don't turn her face, and don't slap her.
If you want, you can try stroking her cheek, forehead or head to try to wake her up
Step 3. Make a loud noise
You can also try turning on the TV or radio, closing a door, banging hard on something, or playing an instrument in an attempt to awaken the person. However, avoid making loud noises by being very close to his ear. Otherwise you could scare her or damage her hearing.
Part 2 of 3: Determine the Severity of the Situation
Step 1. Look for symptoms that may indicate that the person is unconscious
If you have woken up, check for the following disorders: amnesia, migraine, confused state, dizziness, sleepiness, rapid heartbeat. Also check if it has the ability to move all parts of the body.
- Ask her how she feels and try to move her fingers and toes. Ask her if she feels any pain or discomfort anywhere.
- If the person does not react, check for a loss of stool or urine. If so, call 911 immediately.
- Loss of consciousness can be caused by a serious illness or injury, by ingesting drugs, alcohol or drugs, or by something that has gone wrong with you. Temporary unconsciousness can result from a condition of dehydration, hypoglycemia, a sudden drop in blood pressure, or even a serious problem affecting the heart or nervous system.
Step 2. Try to find out what happened
If the person awakens, you need to determine if they are fully alert. You can do this by asking her some simple questions, for example "What is your name?", "What day is today?" and how old are you?".
- If he is unable to answer or if the answers are wrong, he is in an altered state of mind. If so, call your doctor or emergency services immediately.
- If you have witnessed the person's fainting (sudden and temporary loss of consciousness) and upon awakening you have found that they are in an altered mental state, have chest pain or discomfort, have a fast or irregular heartbeat, are unable to move your extremities or have difficulty seeing, contact 118 promptly.
Step 3. Check your breathing
If the person does not react, place a hand on their forehead and gently tilt it backwards; reflexively, the mouth should open slightly. Simultaneously place your other hand on her chin and lift her up. Get close to his mouth to check if you feel the heat or the sound of his breathing.
- Also look at the chest to see if it rises and falls, trying to figure out if it is breathing.
- If he's not breathing, you need to perform CPR and call 911.
- If you are certain she is choking because something went wrong, perform the Heimlich maneuver.
Part 3 of 3: Helping an Unconscious Person
Step 1. Give her something sweet
A drop in blood sugar can cause you to faint. If you or the person who was passed out know that this is the reason, give her something sweet to eat, like candy. A sweet drink, such as a fruit juice, soda, or energy drink may also work. However, do not try to get her to drink or eat while she is unconscious.
If the cause is dehydration or very hot weather, take her to a cool place and have her drink water or an energy drink
Step 2. Turn the person on their side
Kneel next to the person and spread their arm closest to you at a right angle to their body, with the palm of your hand facing up. Lift his other arm and bring it to his chest, with the palm of your hand resting on his cheek. Keep her arm still in this position with your hand. Now, with your other hand, lift her knee further and bring it to the other leg until the foot of the one on the ground is completely against the floor. Gently pull the raised knee to put the person on their side. This is the lateral safety position.
- You must perform this maneuver if the person has been unconscious for more than a minute, lies on their back and is breathing on their own.
- If you think the victim may have an injured spine, do not move it or turn it at all.
Step 3. Call 118
Once the person is in the safety lateral position, call the emergency medical service. Keep monitoring your breathing until paramedics arrive. If he stops breathing, you or someone else present will need to do CPR.
- Call 911 if the person is injured, has diabetes, has seizures, has lost bladder or bowel control, is pregnant, is over 50, or has been unconscious for over a minute.
- Call 911 even if the person wakes up and complains of chest discomfort, pressure or pain, or has a fast or irregular heartbeat.
- You must call 911 even if the person has difficulty seeing, speaking or moving their legs.
