You want to feel lightheaded. Perhaps you intend to pretend to pass out, or perhaps you’re just looking for a good time. The feeling of lightheadedness is a sensory response to a momentary drop in blood pressure and blood flow to your head – often when you get up too quickly after sitting or lying down. You can trigger the sensation in a number of ways, but be careful: lightheadedness can lead to nausea, vomiting, or even death in severe cases
Standing Up Quickly
1Crouch. Bend your knees and get low to the ground. Hang your head low. When you stand up quickly after you’ve been crouching, sitting, or laying down for a while, the blood rushes from your head, and your brain is momentarily knocked off of its usual equilibrium. If you haven’t been sitting or laying down for long, try crouching down and breathing rapidly to simulate the process.
2Breathe quickly and deeply in your crouched position. In theory, this will increase your blood flow and temporarily raise your blood pressure – especially to your head and lungs. Keep breathing and crouching for at least thirty seconds, and as long as several minutes. Bear in mind that the longer you stay down, the more likely you are to feel lightheaded upon standing.
- Be aware of external factors. The lightheaded effect will be more intense if you’re hungry or dehydrated, or if the air is hot and humid. If you get too lightheaded, you might faint or vomit.
- Consider standing on your head or performing a handstand. Turning yourself upside-down is a very quick way to bring blood to your head. The process is essentially the same: stay upside-down for a minute or two until your head is heavy – then stand. Make sure that you have
- plenty of neck support.
- The heavier and faster you breathe, the higher your heart rate will go. This will cause your blood flow to quicken.
Stand up quickly. Hold your head high, and don’t move around much. The blood pressure should drain from your head, suddenly. You should feel lightheaded almost immediately.
- Your vision may go dark. You may see spots, “stars”, or bright points of light dancing before your eyes. You should feel an overwhelming head rush.
4Wait before you walk. It’s best to stand still for a few moments and enjoy the sensation. Let your vision return, and let your brain restore its balance. If you try to walk while you’re very lightheaded, you might trip, fall, or bump into something.
Holding Your Breath
1Hold your breath. Holding your breath deprives your brain of oxygen. Your body is used to a steady flow of fresh oxygen; indeed, you need to breathe it almost constantly to survive. If you hold your breath, you deprive yourself of oxygen, and your brain quickly descends into “crisis mode”. If you hold your breath until you feel uncomfortable—even for just a matter of seconds—you will be able to make yourself lightheaded.
2Be very careful. Don’t hold your breath for too long, or you might pass out. Whatever you do, do not deprive yourself of oxygen in a way that you can’t manually override. You’re playing with your life here. Only hold your breath if you are able to resume breathing again at a moment’s notice. This means:
- Do not seal your head inside an airtight container, like a bag or a plastic wrap. Certainly don’t plug your nose and your mouth at the same time. You run a high risk of suffocating.
- Do not try to make yourself lightheaded underwater. If you pass out underwater, you might not be able to bring yourself to the surface – and you might drown.
- Do not try to make yourself lightheaded while you’re doing anything that requires your full attention. Don’t do this while riding a bike or driving a car. Don’t do this while standing on the edge of a high place. You might crash; you might fall.
Consider inhaling smoke. If you hold a large amount of tobacco smoke in your lungs for a few seconds, you should feel dramatically lightheaded. Be aware of the risks of smoking: the smoke will scar your lungs and throat, and you set yourself up for a nicotine addiction if you begin to regularly smoke cigarettes. Have no illusions – this is not a good idea. It should, however, make you feel lightheaded.
4Prepare to see stars and feel very dizzy. Your vision may go dark, and your brain may feel temporarily empty. The sensation might be overwhelming; you might even pass out. Don’t try to walk until your head clears. Make sure that you are always in control of whether or not you can breathe – otherwise you risk brain damage or even death.