We all have come across a movie scene where a person who is heavily injured slowly drifts in and out of consciousness. Sometimes it is stated that it is important for the person to stay awake to prevent him from dying. In this scene, you might also see a person slapping the one who is heavily injured or shaking him in an attempt to keep him conscious. This whole scene from Hollywood brings us to the question – why is it important to keep someone conscious, as shown in the movies?
It is not really important to keep someone conscious, but consciousness may even help in some cases. For example, a study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, which showed that when rats were intentionally knocked out, their body produced 50% fewer ATP molecules. ATP is the energy that cells consume in order to perform vital functions. The end result of this whole event was that the brain required 66% less energy, and this is one of the best things when your body is already low on the necessary resources to keep going.
Conclusion
However, when it comes to staying alive, being conscious is not at all a requirement in any way. But your level of consciousness and some changes in it can actually guide a medical emergency provider on how to treat you. So, slapping a person can only be seen in any Hollywood scene, but in real life, your medical provider would barely slap you when you are already fighting to survive. In case you come across a situation where a person falls unconscious, just call the emergency and give him the first aid. Else, you can just lean down and smile while saying, “look at me, we’re gonna be okay”. You can say “I love you” around 1000 times because it might be your last chance to say it.
