How does the body react when there is a lack of oxygen to the brain? (2024)

This is an automatically translated article.

Lack of oxygen to the brain is a dangerous disease, with the risk of causing brain cells to be destroyed and permanently damaged. Recognizing the body's response to cerebral ischemia helps us to detect the disease early and take timely measures.

1. What is lack of oxygen to the brain?

A complex network of blood vessels is responsible for delivering oxygen and vital nutrients for the brain to function properly. Although it makes up only a small part of the total body weight, the brain requires a lot of energy. Specifically, the brain needs about 15% of the blood from the heart to get the oxygen and glucose it needs for daily activities.
Therefore, if there is not enough blood flow to the brain to meet the metabolic needs, the brain will be deprived of oxygen.
Brain hypoxia is considered to be the third leading cause of death in the world after cancer and cardiovascular disease. Most notably, cerebral hypoxia accounts for 25% of all cerebrovascular accidents.
Brain oxygen deficiency in mild form, the patient will feel headache, fatigue, dizziness. Severe form can cause temporary loss of consciousness/memory, hemiplegia, dizziness, blue skin, fear of cold,... making life and work difficult.
Prolonged lack of oxygen in the brain will lead to a cerebrovascular accident with many serious sequels such as brain tissue death, cerebral infarction, also known as stroke, sudden death, hemiplegia,...
There are many Risk factors for hypoxia to the brain, but mainly due to:
Exogenous risk: Includes smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke, air pollution, chemicals, airborne dust or the effects of height. Endogenous risk: It is possible that the lungs and cardiovascular organs are not in good condition. Atherosclerosis is also one of the causes.

How does the body react when there is a lack of oxygen to the brain? (1)

2. The body's response to lack of oxygen to the brain

Respiratory problems: When there is a lack of oxygen to the brain, you will first feel short of breath, fast breathing, coughing and wheezing Headache: Feeling heavy in your head, especially when you have to move, think a lot or when Just woke up Dizziness, dizziness, tinnitus: Even though the patient is in a quiet space with no wind, the patient also hears tinnitus. In addition, they experience dizziness, lightheadedness and loss of balance. Insomnia: People with cerebral hypoxia often experience sleep problems such as restless sleep, frequent nightmares, sleep or wakefulness is also difficult to control, waking up in the middle of the night or in the morning can't fall asleep. Memory impairment: Due to insufficient blood flow to the brain, the patient may experience headaches, dizziness, dizziness, etc., thereby gradually reducing memory and forgetting things quickly. Numbness, aching limbs: The patient's fingertips will be numb, sometimes the patient feels a tingling under the skin like a crawling ant, or pain along the ribs, sometimes a cold feeling in the spine , aching limbs, pain along the shoulders and neck and pain along the ribs. Besides, the manifestations of autonomic nervous system disorders such as heart palpitations, hemodynamic disturbances, hot flashes, sluggishness, sluggishness, fatigue, decreased health... are also suspicious signs. of cerebral hypoxia.

3. Preventing lack of oxygen to the brain

How does the body react when there is a lack of oxygen to the brain? (2)

You can adopt the following lifestyles and remedies to deal with brain hypoxia:
Quit smoking: If you have been diagnosed with cerebral hypoxia or other lung disease, quit smoking is one of the first things you need to do to improve your condition. Avoid cigarette smoke: Besides quitting smoking, you also need to avoid places where people smoke. Secondhand smoke can cause more lung damage than smoking. Exercise regularly: Exercise is really helpful to improve your overall strength and endurance. Regarding the diet, you need to limit eating foods that contain a lot of fat, limit the use of alcohol, carbonated drinks, and need to increase your diet with lots of green vegetables, especially those with a lot of vegetables. color. Know the causes of diseases of the lungs and cardiovascular organs to find ways to avoid them. Brain hypoxia is a dangerous disease, because it only takes 4 to 5 minutes for brain cells to be destroyed and permanently damaged. Therefore, experts recommend, when feeling the body appear the onset of symptoms of hypoxia to the brain or brain ischemia, such as confusion, heart rhythm disturbances, headache, dizziness, dizziness, loss of consciousness. sleeping... patients should immediately go to medical facilities to be examined by a doctor, accurately diagnose the condition of the disease and propose a timely treatment plan. Patients should not ignore the symptoms of lack of oxygen to the brain because it is very dangerous and can easily lead to a stroke.
Vinmec International General Hospital with a highly qualified medical team and a full range of modern medical equipment will help patients accurately diagnose the cause of brain hypoxia and offer treatment methods. suitable treatment.

Please dialHOTLINEfor more information or register for an appointment HERE.Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

XEM THÊM:

  • Causes of lack of oxygen in the body
  • Causes and reactions of the body when there is a lack of oxygen
  • Breathing oxygen through a mask in emergency resuscitation

This article is written for readers from Sài Gòn, Hà Nội, Hồ Chí Minh, Phú Quốc, Nha Trang, Hạ Long, Hải Phòng, Đà Nẵng.

How does the body react when there is a lack of oxygen to the brain? (2024)

FAQs

How does the body react when there is a lack of oxygen to the brain? ›

Cerebral hypoxia happens when your brain doesn't get enough oxygen. Symptoms include confusion, difficulty speaking and seizures. It's a medical emergency that can be fatal and can cause lifelong brain damage.

How does the brain react to lack of oxygen? ›

Most notably, cerebral hypoxia accounts for 25% of all cerebrovascular accidents. Brain oxygen deficiency in mild form, the patient will feel headache, fatigue, dizziness. Severe form can cause temporary loss of consciousness/memory, hemiplegia, dizziness, blue skin, fear of cold,... making life and work difficult.

What is brain damage from lack of oxygen? ›

Hypoxic brain injuries are brain injuries that form due to a restriction on the oxygen being supplied to the brain. The restricted flow of oxygen causes the gradual death and impairment of brain cells.

Does lack of oxygen to the brain cause sleepiness? ›

Signs of lack of oxygen when sleeping

Fatigue all day: People who are deprived of oxygen when sleeping are often tired, have difficulty concentrating at work, impaired memory and temperament. change, irritability, daytime sleepiness: This is one of the hallmarks of sleep hypoxia syndrome.

What happens when your brain doesn't get enough blood? ›

Stroke. Stroke is an abrupt interruption of constant blood flow to the brain that causes loss of neurological function. The interruption of blood flow can be caused by a blockage, leading to the more common ischemic stroke, or by bleeding in the brain, leading to the more deadly hemorrhagic stroke.

What happens when there is lack of oxygen? ›

Hypoxia is low levels of oxygen in your body tissues. It causes symptoms like confusion, restlessness, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, and bluish skin. Many chronic heart and lung conditions can put you at risk for hypoxia. Hypoxia can be life-threatening.

What does it feel like to lose oxygen to the brain? ›

Mild symptoms include memory loss and problems with motor function, such as movement. Severe cases can result in seizures and brain death. Read on to learn more about brain hypoxia, also known as cerebral hypoxia.

What happens to the body when you run out of oxygen? ›

Between 30-180 seconds of oxygen deprivation, you may lose consciousness. At the one-minute mark, brain cells begin dying. At three minutes, neurons suffer more extensive damage, and lasting brain damage becomes more likely. At five minutes, death becomes imminent.

How long can a brain survive without oxygen? ›

How long can the brain go without oxygen before serious damage occurs? After five to ten minutes of not breathing, you are likely to develop serious and possibly irreversible brain damage. The one exception is when a younger person stops breathing and also becomes very cold at the same time.

When the brain is deprived of oxygen, it can cause brain damage. Quizlet? ›

D. 6-10 minutes. Rationale: Permanent brain damage is very likely if the brain is without oxygen for 6 minutes or longer. After 10 minutes without oxygen, irreversible brain damage is likely.

When does brain damage become irreversible? ›

Time is very important when an unconscious person is not breathing. Permanent brain damage begins after only 4 minutes without oxygen, and death can occur as soon as 4 to 6 minutes later. Machines called automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can be found in many public places, and are available for home use.

Can you live with 70 oxygen? ›

Levels under about 70 percent can be life-threatening. Low oxygen saturation levels during sleep are linked to several health conditions.

Can lack of oxygen cause nightmares? ›

Sleep Apnea and Nightmares

There are a few theories about why vivid nightmares are common for those with apnea. The first is that those with apnea are experiencing a lack of oxygen. This can affect the quality of dreams and it can also make its way into dreams in symbolic and disturbing ways.

What are the symptoms of not getting enough oxygen to the brain? ›

At first, symptoms may include:
  • Ataxia (not being able to control movement).
  • Dizziness or feeling lightheaded.
  • Feeling euphoric for no known reason.
  • Tachypnea (rapid shallow breathing).
  • A sensation of numbness and tingling.
  • Trouble concentrating.

Can the brain heal itself after lack of oxygen? ›

If there has only been mild or short-lived anoxia, there may well be recovery back to a normal or near normal level of functioning. However, if the anoxic injury has been more marked the outcome is less certain and there are likely to be long-term effects.

Will lack of oxygen cause a stroke? ›

The brain is an organ that cannot store oxygen, so blood vessels deliver oxygen through the blood. A lack of blood supply can cause a stroke, therefore causing surrounding nerve cells to be cut off from nutrients and oxygen. If the brain tissue lacks oxygen for more than three or four minutes, the tissue begins to die.

What are the symptoms of not having enough blood flow to the brain? ›

Common symptoms may include:
  • Difficulty pronouncing words, slurred speech.
  • Difficulty swallowing.
  • Double vision or vision loss.
  • Numbness or tingling, most often on the face or scalp.
  • Sudden falls (drop attacks)
  • Vertigo (sensation of things spinning around)
  • Memory loss.
Jul 26, 2022

What part of the brain dies first without oxygen? ›

In particular, the temporal lobe (at the temples) is sensitive to oxygen deficiency which is also where the memory is situated. A lack of oxygen from three to nine minutes can result in irreversible brain damage! In case of a cardiac arrest a CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is best started within two minutes.

Can lack of oxygen to the brain cause mental illness? ›

While severe chronic hypoxia or dysfunctional hypoxia adaptations can contribute to the pathogenesis of anxiety and depressive disorders, harnessing controlled responses to hypoxia to increase cellular and psychological resilience emerges as a novel treatment strategy for these diseases.

Can the brain rewire itself after an anoxic brain injury? ›

Yes, absolutely – with the help of neuroplasticity! Neuroplasticity allows the brain to create new pathways and strengthen existing ones. This enables healthy parts of the brain to compensate for damaged areas.

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