What is the difference between unresponsive and unconscious

Watch how to help someone who is unresponsive and breathing 1 minute 39 seconds. If I think they have a back or neck injury, should I still turn them on their side?

Should I try talking to someone who is unresponsive and breathing? What should I do if someone is feeling faint? Back to questions If I think they have a back or neck injury, should I still turn them on their side? Back to questions Should I try talking to someone who is unresponsive and breathing?

Back to questions What should I do if someone is feeling faint? Back to questions Email us if you have any other questions about first aid for someone who is unresponsive and breathing. More first aid skills:. Help communities cope in a crisis So far in , we've educated over , children, young people and adults. Support Community Education.

You might also want to:. Download the First Aid app Our free app has simple first aid advice. Chest compressions also help oxygen circulate. Before starting CPR, try to wake the person again by calling their name loudly and asking if they are okay.

Lay the person on their back on any flat, hard surface. Protect their neck from big movements if it looks like they might have a spinal injury. Keeping your elbows straight, bring your shoulders forward over your hands to give you more upper body strength. Using the weight and force of your upper body, push straight down on their chest. Press it down at least 2. This is one compression. Do continual sets of 30 compressions at a rate of about two per second, or — compressions per minute.

Blow until you see their chest rise. This is one breath. Perform two breaths, letting the lungs relax between breaths. Continue with the pattern of 30 compressions and two breaths until the emergency services arrive.

There are also some things to avoid when administering first aid:. Contact emergency services immediately if someone is unconscious.

If the person is not breathing, begin CPR only after calling for help. It is especially important to seek help before performing CPR if the person:.

Many circumstances can lead to unconsciousness, including major traumatic events and injuries. Some causes include:. There are five stages of unconsciousness. People in vegetative states and comas are fully unconscious. People in minimally conscious states may have some level of consciousness that comes and goes. People usually enter into vegetative states and comas due to an illness or injury to the brain. People may enter minimally conscious states by fainting or blacking out, and this is usually more temporary.

It is also possible to classify unconsciousness by how long it lasts and how responsive the person is to their environment. For example, a person may:. There can be signs that a person is about to become unconscious, including:. A sudden loss of consciousness without warning can result from fainting , or syncope.

Neurally mediated syncope NMS is the most common form of fainting. If we cut a nerve, it will respond. Is connectedness lost if it never gets past the spinal nerves, as in spinal anesthesia? If the impulse gets through the spine, where in the brain must it be unconnected for us to consider that we have fulfilled the criteria of our job as anesthesiologists? From chronic pain patients, there is a general understanding that a memory exists in nerve tissue, not just the higher centers.

Should our goal be to make all nerve tissue unresponsive? Sign In or Create an Account. Advanced Search. Sign In. Skip Nav Destination Article Navigation. Close mobile search navigation Article navigation. Volume , Issue 5. Sometimes altered levels of consciousness, such as lethargy, can occur due to fluctuation of a chronic condition. For example, a person can have impaired consciousness due to very high or low blood sugar levels with diabetes. And a seizure can cause a person to be unconscious during the post-ictal state.

Unconsciousness is treatable. Immediate treatment can result in improved awareness, and it can also prevent death or lasting health effects. Treatment involves urgent care to manage the immediate problem, as well as long-term care.

Many of these treatments can be started by first responders on the way to the emergency department. Any illness or condition that severely affects brain function can cause unconsciousness. This can include head trauma, heart disease, breathing problems, infections, drugs, and more.

Unconsciousness is a lack of awareness and a lack of responsiveness. You should call for emergency medical help, and in the meantime, you can administer CPR or other first aid if it is needed and if you know how to do it.

There are several definitions of stages of consciousness. Full alertness is a state of normal consciousness. Lethargy is an impaired state of consciousness. Unconsciousness is a severely impaired state of consciousness. Brain death is a state in which the brain is not functioning. Unconsciousness is a sign of a serious medical problem that could cause death or disability. There are emergency protocols that first responders use when encountering a person who is unconscious.

Calling for help is your most important role as a companion or bystander. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Maiese K. Overview of coma and impaired consciousness. Merck Manual Professional Version. Updated June