A harmless fainting spell can be caused by low blood pressure or a nervous system response that reduces blood flow to the brain. [1] X Research source Such a nervous system response could be the result of highly stressful or traumatic event, fear, or pain. For teenagers, fake fainting is a perfect excuse to avoid an event or exam, since it’s common for them to experience real, but harmless, fainting spells. For adults who are older, it’s possible for them to experience a harmless fainting spell once or twice a year; but anything more than that might be considered the result of something life-threatening.
Not eating breakfast or waiting too long between meals to eat something can cause low blood pressure. Not drinking enough water can cause dehydration and reduce blood flow to the brain. If you happen to be outside or in a really stuffy room, you could say that you got too hot. You could pretend to experience a stressful or traumatic event. If you’re easily scared by bugs or loud noises, you could pretend your fear caused you to hyperventilate, and then faint. If you decide to let someone in on your plan to fake faint, you could have them hit or slap you so hard you faint. Now this might be a little dramatic and may have repercussions for the person helping you out, but it is a valid reason for a fainting spell that won’t seem life-threatening.
What are you trying to avoid? A friend’s wedding? An exam you haven’t studied for? Maybe you’re singing to an auditorium of your peers, and you don’t feel ready. To minimize the blowback from your fake fainting spell, you may want to fake faint in front of only a few people. Fainting in front of a lot of people might expose you to some who can easily detect a fake fainting spell, and it might also make the moment bigger than you want it to be, hindering a quick exit. When you pretend to faint try your best to look real. You also don’t want to faint during an important event that might affect other people, such as your friend’s wedding, while someone’s receiving an award, or during the test you’re trying to avoid. Plan for your fake fainting spell to happen before the event you’re trying to avoid.
It’s important to do a dry run of your fake fainting spell. You don’t want to think you can pull it off, only to realize during the act that you’re afraid of falling and bumping your head or that you can’t hyperventilate without smiling. You also want to ensure that you fall as safely as possible in order to minimize potential injury. Know exactly what you’re going to do, so that when you fake faint in front of other people, it will go smoothly.
Once you pretend to awaken from your loss of conscious, don’t jump up immediately and act as if everything is fine. Plan to sit for a few minutes, since it takes about that long for a person to recover from a real fainting spell. Knowing this is important. You don’t want to faint during a time-sensitive event and expect to run out immediately afterwards. Also prepare to explain away your fainting as no big deal, so that once you should feel fine to stand up and walk away, you can exit the area as quickly as possible.
Are enough or the right people present? Is the event you’re trying to avoid still happening? Is the hallway too crowded? Once you know things seem right, move to the general area where you want your fake fainting spell to occur. A real fainting spell happens fairly quickly from the onset of symptoms. Make sure there aren’t dangerous objects nearby that could cause serious injury if you happen to hit them when falling. And make sure you won’t hit anyone.
Maybe ask someone to open a window. If you are windowless or have no water around, just say you think you need to sit down, or go out for fresh air. Sit for a bit and get up slowly. Then stumble a bit and fall forward. Before you do that say something such as “I just. . . . " Make sure you don’t finish your sentence, unless it’s short.
If you are sitting, relax and imagine you actually are fainting. Let yourself fall off the chair, as it is unlikely you would stay on there if you actually did faint. Try to land on the back side of your thigh, not your hip or tailbone. Then quickly drop your torso. Just close your eyes and let all your muscles completely weaken; just relax. Act as if you have no bones and fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. This will seem real.
Don’t stay down there too long, or someone might call the Emergency Services. Unless you want that to happen, make sure you don’t stay out for more than 20 seconds.
