Was curious about what causes you to gradually lose hearing and sight for a few seconds
Edit: more accurate word would be fainting I think, not native
In: Biology
In order to be conscious you need nearly half of the brain cells in your cerebral cortex to be active at any given time. If you fall below this level of activity, you lose consciousness. Other parts of the brain that control vision and hearing require a certain threshold in order to function too.
If you’re talking about losing hearing and sight for a few seconds when standing up (a so-called “head rush”), this is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. When you stand up gravity pulls blood down to your legs and arms. The lack of blood flow in the brain means cells aren’t getting oxygen and nutrients, so they can’t function. Your body quickly fixes this by tightening blood vessels in your legs to squeezes the blood back up to your head. Imagine if you squeezed the bottom of a half-full water bottle. Once blood flow to your brain is restored everything starts working again.
Latest Answers