How to Pretend to Faint

Did you forget to study for your exam? Were you planning to attend an event but now wish to back out? Or perhaps you have a role where you need to fake fainting? Whether it's for entertainment or to escape an awkward situation, these tips will help you fake a faint just like the real thing.

Understand the causes of fainting. Fainting is a relatively common phenomenon. It can be harmless or life-threatening. If you're planning to fake fainting, it's best to understand the relatively harmless reasons why people faint. Fainting occurs when there is reduced blood flow to the brain.

• Harmless fainting can be caused by low blood pressure or a reflex response from the nervous system that reduces blood circulation to the brain. This reflex can be triggered by stress, emotions, or feelings of fear or pain.
• For teenagers, fainting is a perfect excuse to avoid an event or exam, as harmless fainting is not uncommon at this age. Adults may also experience one or two harmless fainting spells each year; however, if fainting occurs more frequently, it could be a sign of a serious life-threatening condition.

Learn about the symptoms that occur when fainting. Someone who faints may experience several symptoms leading to unconsciousness, including a hot feeling, nausea, dizziness, confusion, or rapid breathing. The person may also feel lightheaded, weak, experience ringing in the ears, or temporary hearing loss. These symptoms often occur in individuals with harmless fainting spells.

Identify the reason why you need to fake fainting. Unless you're pretending for a play, you'll need to come up with an explanation so that no one calls for emergency help while you successfully perform this harmless dramatic act. Since low blood pressure and poor blood circulation to the brain are common causes of harmless fainting, many situations can lead to this type of fainting.

• Skipping breakfast or going too long between meals can cause low blood pressure. Not drinking enough water can also lead to dehydration and reduced blood circulation to the brain.
• If you're outdoors or in a stifling room, you could claim you're feeling very hot. You might pretend you're undergoing a stressful or emotional event. If you're easily frightened by insects or loud noises, you can also pretend you're so scared that you're gasping for breath before fainting.
• If you can get someone to help with your fainting act, they could slap or hit you hard enough to make you faint. This scene might be dramatic and could have consequences for the person assisting, but it will provide a plausible reason for a seemingly harmless fainting spell.

Outline your fainting plan. To minimize the reverse effects of faking a faint and achieve the desired outcome, you must plan carefully. The reason you want to fake fainting will determine where you do it. As for the timing, you have more control over that, but you need to be particularly careful in executing it to avoid injury or any unintended consequences.

• What event are you trying to avoid? A friend's wedding? An exam you haven't studied for? Or are you about to sing in front of an audience and lack confidence?
• To minimize the backlash, you might want to fake fainting in front of just a few people. Fainting in front of many people increases the risk that someone will detect your act, making the situation more complicated and preventing you from quickly ending the performance.
• You'll likely not want to faint in the middle of an important event, such as a friend's wedding, during someone’s award ceremony, or in the middle of the exam you're trying to skip.

Know how your fainting act will unfold. Will you be standing or sitting? What symptoms can you most accurately mimic? How will you fall when pretending to faint? How long will you stay unconscious? These are questions you need to answer.

• Practicing your fainting act is essential. Avoid assuming you can pull it off only to find yourself panicking when it’s time to perform, worried about falling and hitting your head, or unable to stop laughing while pretending to gasp for air. You also need to make sure you fall as safely as possible to minimize the risk of injury.
• Know exactly what actions you're about to perform to ensure the fainting act goes smoothly in front of others.

Set up the finale. You should only pretend to be unconscious for a few seconds, at most 20 seconds. When a person falls to the ground or leans against something with their head level with the heart, blood circulation to the brain is usually restored almost immediately, and they wake up.

• When pretending to wake up after being unconscious for a while, don't just spring up as if nothing happened. Sit there for a few minutes, as a person who has truly fainted would need that amount of time to recover. This is crucial.
• You shouldn't pretend to faint at an event with limited time and then quickly try to end the act. Also, be ready to explain that your fainting spell was harmless so you can stand up and leave as quickly as possible.

Set the scene for your fainting act. Once you've prepared for a convincing fainting performance, it's time to execute it. When you're at the spot where you want to 'faint,' make sure all conditions align with your plan.

• Are there enough people present, or are they the ones you wanted there? Is the event you want to avoid still happening? Is the room too crowded?
• When everything matches your plan, move to the common area where you want to perform the fainting act. A real fainting episode typically happens quickly after symptoms appear.
• Ensure there are no dangerous objects around that could cause serious injury if you fall into them. Also, make sure you don't crash into anyone.

Complain about the symptoms of fainting. Once you're ready, start displaying symptoms before fainting. This step should take a few minutes. If you're using the excuse of skipping breakfast, complain about feeling extremely hungry. If you're in a crowded and stuffy room, you can begin to say you're feeling hot. If you're walking, slow down, hold your head for a moment, and say you're feeling dizzy. You could blink or squint your eyes, mention you're feeling nauseous, and suddenly act tired. Continue showing the final symptom for 1-2 minutes.

Position yourself where you'll 'faint.' As you show the symptoms, subtly move to the safest spot to fall. If you plan to fall while sitting, pretend to be too tired to stand and sit down. You might say you're feeling unwell and need some water or fresh air.

• You could ask someone to open the window. If there’s no window and no water, simply claim you want to sit down or get some fresh air outside. Sit for a moment, then slowly stand up. After that, stagger a bit and fall forward. Before doing this, say something like 'I just...' but don't finish the sentence unless it's short.

Fake the fainting. Ensure you fall safely. Avoid hitting your head and injuring yourself. If you're standing, bend your knees and let them touch the ground before you try to collapse your body. Make sure the action is quick, but don’t overdo it like you're struck by lightning, or your act will seem very fake.

• If sitting, relax and imagine you're truly fainting. Fall off the chair as if you can't sit any longer.
• Try to land on your thighs, not your hips or tailbone. Then, quickly let your body fall to the ground. Close your eyes and relax all your muscles; just unwind.
• Make it seem like you have no bones and fall to the ground like a ragdoll. This will look incredibly realistic.

Feign unconsciousness for a few seconds. Lie on the ground. Make sure not to tense up, and if anyone tries to lift your arm and shake you, completely relax. When they release your arm, let it drop. This is a common test. A truly unconscious person can't control their limbs. Someone will rush over to check if you're okay, and this will lead to the dramatic performance you're aiming for.

• Don’t lie there too long, or someone might call for an ambulance. Unless you want that to happen, avoid lying still for more than 20 seconds.

Open your eyes and take a deep breath. People who faint usually wake up with no memory of the incident. You can say that all you remember is the hot sensation and the lights in the room gradually fading away.

Slowly sit up and stand, or ask someone to help you to your feet. After a while, you can try to stand up and wobble a bit, making everyone think you might faint again and rush to help you. At this point, if anyone asks, you can begin explaining that your fainting episode wasn't dangerous.

Wrap up the act quickly. Rest for about 10 minutes to simulate recovering from the fainting spell. When it’s time, ask to go home and rest or visit a doctor. If someone offers to take you home, you can accept their kind offer or explain that you can safely make your way home on your own.

• When you first open your eyes, avoid speaking immediately. Act disoriented for a few seconds, then ask what happened. If you open your eyes and start talking right away, it will seem unnatural.
• If you can’t fall in a convincing way, try to fake fainting when one or two people are close enough to see you, but not too close to realize you’re pretending.
• Avoid smirking or laughing while pretending to faint, or you’ll reveal yourself.
• You might need to practice before pulling it off convincingly. Find a way to practice without hurting yourself, like falling on a mattress or a bed.
• If you decide to fall forward, make sure not to extend your arms to stop yourself. This is a reflex, so it’s best to practice a lot before doing it for real.
• Try faking a fall by leaning against a wall so that the wall can help support you.
• When falling in an open space, ensure you don’t crash into anyone or anything, as this could lead to injury or unexpected consequences.
• Consider telling one person about your fake fainting act. They could catch you as you fall to help prevent injury.
• Remember to bend your knees so that they touch the ground before your body falls.
• Additionally, don’t forget to close your eyes.
• If you’re sitting, try holding your head and acting dizzy. Continue your act and suddenly topple forward. You can also crash into a table to create more noise and draw attention.
• You might want to involve one or two people in your prank, but be careful not to tell too many people or anyone you don’t trust.

• Don’t fake fainting repeatedly or overact; people might think you’re seriously ill, and they could call an ambulance.
• When you “fall,” make sure to quickly move to an open space to avoid crashing into someone or something, or you could get hurt. Always be cautious!
• If you jump right back into activity after fainting, it will look suspicious. Instead, sit with your head bowed between your knees for a while.
• Don’t fake fainting to escape the police. This could land you in serious trouble.
• Don’t breathe too fast unless you want someone to call for an ambulance. If you plan on doing this, make sure your heartbeat is slightly abnormal.
• Don’t ask “What happened?” right after you “wake up.” It will seem clichéd and fake. However, after a few minutes, you can ask and add something like “Do I look weird?” or a similar phrase.