When donating blood?


Question:
Does it temporarily increase or decrease your blood pressure? Learned answers only, please.

Answers:
Sorry guys but even though some blood is leaving the system the pressure behind it will not change substantially (heart rate may) unless you gave 4 pints or more.... Any pressure changes would be more relative to anxiety than to blood loss unless you had unusual BP's to start with . The fluids, pizza and cookies are given to offset the nausea and lightheadedness. Blood is made in the marrow; does the fluid go there? how?

Other Answers:
Decreases blood volume and pressure.

That's why they also give you liquids after you donate to replace the lost volume, and you may be a little dizzy after donation.

Increase in blood volume would lead to more blood flowing through the veins and being returned to the heart and therefore the heart would pump that volume harder increase in blood pressure flowing through the veins.
It decreases your Blood Pressure, because you are loosing volume and your heart is trying to fill the space of the lost blood.
I've given blood several times and have never experience any negatives affects from it. People who have high blood pressure or anemia can give blood if it is under control on the day they are going to donate. Check out www.redcross.org for more information if you are considering donating.
Its not suppose to affect anything since you normally have extra to begin with, but I know in my case it decreased my blood pressure just enough to where it took me about 12 hours to totally recover. Took me 4 hours just to regain enough pressure to get off the chair without fainting and the other 8 to not feel sleepy or outright fall asleep. But then I was 18 (school blood drive) and I have not since then donated again.

I've since then been told not to donate anymore blood because of my adverse reaction.

Brian J: there is a recommended weight limit and the red cross also tests one's iron levels. I tend to be just above both "limits" and my typical BP is 90/60. One pint is enough to cause me some difficulties. Just my personal experience. Like I said before, donating blood isn't supposed to cause problems, but damned if it didn't get me.
Considering that you are donating blood, thus losing blood, your blood pressure goes down. Thats why after you odnate, you need to drink a lot of water/fluids to get your blood volume level up.
36% of donors may experience an adverse effect from donating blood - (usually very minor). Fainting or syncope occurs usually as a result of a vasovagal reaction. Symptoms leading up to an actual syncopal episode can include weakness, sweating, light-headedness, dizziness, or pallor. These symptoms come about because of a complex interplay of cerebral, brainstem, autonomic nervous system, and even emotional factors such as the fear of the sight of blood. Usually the pulse and blood pressure fall. (This reaction can occur before during or after the donation.)
After donating, the donor may have a temporary drop in blood pressure due to the loss of total blood volume. This is easily compensated by the body by changes in heart rate. Drinking lots of fluids quickly restores the total blood volume to the predonation level.


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