3 Important Actions to Remember in an Emergency When You’re Alone
ADVERTISEMENT
When a heart attack occurs, every second counts. What many don’t know is that 70% of heart attacks occur when the person is alone, and over 90% don’t reach the hospital in time. The heart can fail without warning, but if you know what to do in the first moments, your chances of survival increase significantly.
Science and experts agree on one thing: no drugs or equipment are needed; just stay calm and use simple emergency techniques. These maneuvers can help keep the heart beating while you wait for help or get to safety.
Below, you’ll learn three proven steps that could help you survive a heart attack when you’re alone. You can also see these techniques in the following video from the Healthy and Positive channel:
1. Use the “lifesaving cough” to stabilize your heart rate
When your heart begins to beat irregularly, it’s normal to feel dizzy, faint, break out in a cold sweat, or experience intense chest pressure. At that moment, a simple technique can buy you precious seconds: forceful, repeated coughing.
How to do it?
- Take a deep breath.
- Then cough forcefully, as if you’re trying to expel something trapped in your lungs.
- Repeat every 2 seconds, maintaining the rhythm.
This type of cough increases pressure in the chest and helps maintain blood flow to the brain. It’s not a cure, but it can keep blood flowing long enough to call for help or get to safety.
Important Actions to Remember in an Emergency When You’re Alone
In some cases, when the heart begins to fail, a quick mechanical stimulus can help restart an irregular heartbeat. This maneuver is known to specialists as an “emergency stroke.”
How to do it?
- With your closed hand, locate the center of your chest, just above your sternum.
- Give a firm, non-violent blow, but strong enough to generate a stimulus.
- It should be done only once and as a last resort, when you experience symptoms of impending cardiac arrest (loss of strength, blurred vision, difficulty breathing).
This shot can help your heart regain a more stable rhythm while you get professional help.
3. Stimulate the emergence point in the hand
There’s a point frequently used in Eastern first aid techniques that can help maintain consciousness for a few crucial seconds. It’s located on the hand, between the thumb and forefinger.
How to activate it:
- With your other hand, press firmly on the fleshy area between your thumb and forefinger.
- Maintain firm pressure for a few seconds and repeat if necessary.
- This stimulation helps activate your nervous system and keep you alert, especially if you start to feel weak.
- It does not replace any medical care, but it can give you the time you need to seek help
If possible, call emergency services immediately.
- If you feel like you are about to lose consciousness, get into a safe position.
- Use these techniques only as a support until professional help arrives.
- Don’t drive if you think you’re having a heart attack: it could be fatal.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Comment