Read now to see that this phenomenon of seeing blood is fainting has appeared since the … stone age.
If you are watching a cooking show on TV and the chef accidentally bleeds from touching his finger with a knife, does that make you feel scared? And what if the same thing happened in reality?
It is estimated that up to 15% of the population will faint at the sight of blood and actions related to these bodily fluids. However, the interesting thing is that some people don’t faint when they cut their own bleeding hands, they just feel a chill down their spines when they see themselves bleeding.
Not all of us are strong enough to witness violent, bloody scenes whether only in movies or in real life.
About 3.5% of the world’s population suffers from fear of blood damage.
The main cause of this fainting phenomenon comes from anxiety. Unlike normal panics that cause the heart rate to increase (heart palpitations – acute stress response), panic by the sight of blood causes the heart rate to suddenly increase for a moment but then drop sharply. . A sudden drop in blood pressure makes it impossible for blood to circulate in the brain, causing pale skin, sweating, nausea and leading to fainting.
In a little more detail, the source of the drop in heart rate when seeing blood comes from the vagus nerve. It works to connect an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens solitary (NST) with certain parts of the body involved in compulsive movements, such as breathing, swallowing, and heart function.
It is estimated that about 3.5% of the world’s population suffers from blood-injection-injury phobia . This is a condition that causes the sufferer to have an extreme fear of blood and these types of actions that invade these bodily fluids.
Worse, when these people are in extreme fear of seeing blood, vasovagal syncope is possible.
And this condition will cause them to temporarily lose consciousness due to a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure, when the vagus nerve is stimulated by the fear of blood itself.
There are many people who see blood and faint.
So why are people in such an ironic situation?
According to a study from John Hopkins University, USA, the fear of blood damage is the only phobia that causes a decrease in heart rate , instead of an increase like other forms of fear.
In addition, the researchers also found that this fear has come from the Middle Paleolithic period when people were still in the hunting and gathering stage.
At this time, men took on a variety of heavy and dangerous jobs (such as hunting, fighting for territory). Therefore, they have a “steadier” mentality than women and children when they have to see bloody scenes.
This fear has been traced back to the Paleolithic Middle Ages.
On the other hand, due to less contact with violence, the defense mechanism when facing danger of these two subjects will make their subconscious appear a new way of survival.
It is pretending to be dead if one sees any life-threatening situation, especially one involving blood.
This act of pretending causes the body to gradually form a subconscious response mechanism. Over time, although the threat to their own life is not as much as in the past, some people still hide this natural mechanism without even knowing it.
Therefore, you should not be too worried when you yourself “want to faint” when you see blood, because this is just a way of defense of people since … stone age only.