If you are healthy, there are no long-term side-effects from return of damaged red cells. Disruption to the delivery of citrate causing clotting in the tubing: if returned to you, this may cause blocking of a blood vessel. Symptoms can include dizziness, breathlessness, coughing, chest pain or limb swelling.
Plasma and platelet donors may experience unusual symptoms such as tingling around the mouth, chills, heaviness in the chest, difficulty breathing, chest pain, back pain or general discomfort.
Regular blood donation is linked to lower blood pressure and a lower risk for heart attacks. “It definitely helps to reduce cardiovascular risk factors,” says DeSimone.
The side effects of donating blood include nausea and dizziness and fainting in some cases. You may develop a raised bump or experience continued bleeding and bruising at the needle site too. Some people might experience pain and physical weakness after donating blood.
Contact the blood donation center or your doctor if you:
Feel pain or tingling down your arm, into your fingers. Become ill with signs and symptoms of a cold or flu, such as fever, headache or sore throat, within four days after your blood donation.
Your body will replace the blood volume (plasma) within 48 hours. It will take four to eight weeks for your body to completely replace the red blood cells you donated. The average adult has eight to 12 pints of blood. You will not notice any physical changes related to the pint you donated.
How long will it take to replenish the pint of blood I donate? The plasma from your donation is replaced within about 24 hours. Red cells need about four to six weeks for complete replacement. That's why at least eight weeks are required between whole blood donations.
Feeling unwell after giving blood? If you feel faint (light headed or dizzy, hot, sweating, trembling, shaky or nauseous) lie down immediately, rest until you feel better and drink plenty of fluid. Any bruising is usually harmless and will disappear over time. Read more advice about bruising after donation.
Don't do any heavy lifting or vigorous exercise for the rest of the day. If the needle site starts to bleed, apply pressure and raise your arm straight up for 5-10 minutes or until bleeding stops.
After you donate
Overheating or standing up for long periods lowers your blood pressure and increases your risk of feeling faint. So, for about 8 hours after you donate, avoid hot showers, strenuous exercises or walking for long periods.
For those interested in weight loss, people who give blood are literally giving away calories, about 650 of them per pint. For every five times you donate, you could lose a pound (provided you change nothing else about your diet and exercise habits). Donating blood is relaxing!
But when you donate regularly, it gives you the opportunity to save multiple lives. Burning calories. No, blood donation won't become a weight loss fad any time soon. However, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have found that you can lose up to 650 calories per pint of blood donated.
You must be in good health at the time you donate. You cannot donate if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection. If you have recently had a tattoo or body piercing you cannot donate for 6 months from the date of the procedure.
Donors with ongoing symptoms of palpitations are at risk of a donor adverse event during or after donation. Many donors will have experienced palpitations at some time in their lives. Symptoms are often associated with anxiety or stress.
The heart will beat faster to compensate for less oxygen-carrying capacity per heart beat. However, the high end will be compromised. Amateur cyclists were tested before and after a blood donation.
Dr Chaturvedi's advice is to avoid caffeinated drinks (colas, coffees, etc.) for the next 8-10 hours since caffeine is a diuretic and causes loss of fluids from the body. For regular donors, Agrawal advises buffing up on B-vitamins for a few weeks. “Have foods rich in folic acid," she says.
Most clinics will provide sugary snacks after the donation. This helps to keep you from getting dizzy or having other problems due to low glucose levels. Staying hydrated is also vital because water is one of the most important components of blood.
Fatigue and lightheadedness. People may feel fatigued or experience some dizziness, lightheadedness, or nausea after donating blood. This is because of the temporary lowering of blood pressure. If a person feels faint, they can sit down and put their head between the knees so that it is lower than the heart.
After donating blood, make sure you take sufficient rest. Lie down for at least 10 minutes after donating blood. This will ensure that the blood flow gets normal in the body and the brain.
Regular blood donation is linked to lower blood pressure and a lower risk for heart attacks. “It definitely helps to reduce cardiovascular risk factors,” says Dr. DeSimone.
Type O is routinely in short supply and in high demand by hospitals – both because it is the most common blood type and because type O negative blood is the universal blood type needed for emergency transfusions and for immune deficient infants.
Blood donation leads to increased collagen synthesis and decreased collagen degradation, which are associated with the reduction of iron deposits in elderly skin. Our results indicate that appropriate blood donation has potential to be an anti-skin-aging strategy.
Results: Donors reported fatigue as the most common symptom, with approximately 3% of donors experiencing severe problems at the first day after donation. Multiple symptoms improved significantly up to day 3 after whole blood donation.