PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER BLOOD DONATION IN 2025.

Precautions for Blood Donation: It is a noble cause and it not only saves lives but also there are many key factors that we are unaware of.

It balances iron levels in our body, regulates blood flow, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, risk of cancer, new blood cells formation, weight loss etc.

Blood donation can cause you to lose 650 calories for one pint of blood (unit).

There are four components in our blood.

• PLASMA
• PLATELETS
• RED BLOOD CELLS
• WHITE BLOOD CELLS

Many people are afraid to donate blood because of fear of pain, or belief that they can get infections.

Donating blood is safe as they will take precautions while taking blood and no need to worry that you can get infections or diseases.

The only thing that needs to be taken care of is dizziness or fainting. You can be safe if you follow the below steps while going for blood donation.

Precautions to donate blood:

If you are willing to donate blood, then check the below points before going.

• Check if you are fit, healthy and not having any illness or weakness.
• If you have a cold, sore throat, cough, virus or stomach upset, do not go for blood donation.
• Your weight must be above 50 kgs
• Your age must be between 18-65 yrs.
• Make sure you don’t have any tattoos as you cannot donate for 1 year if you have tattoos.
• Do not drink alcohol for 24 hours before blood donation.
• Do not consume tobacco products 6 hours before blood donation.

Precautions before blood donation:

• Drink plenty of water, juices, the night and morning before blood donation.
• If you are donating plasma or platelets, drink as much water as possible.
• The cause of dizziness or faintness in us is a drop in blood pressure. Getting a lot of liquids into your body will stabilize your blood pressure.
• Avoid drinking caffeinated liquids, as these will cause your body to expel water.
• Eat four hours prior to the donation. Going to blood donation with an empty stomach is not at all good. Eating will keep your sugar levels high and you will feel better after blood donation.
• Do not eat anything immediately after blood donation, it will cause nausea.
• Avoid fatty foods for 24 hours before donation, as it will give inaccurate readings during checkups.
• Wear comfortable clothes before going for blood donation.
• Get plenty of sleep (at least 7 hours) before going for blood donation.
• Remember not to take aspirin for 2 days before platelets donation.
• Answer the questions asked by the staff in the form honestly.
• Ask staff if you have any kind of doubts about blood donation as that will make them get an idea about your health status and instruct you whether to donate blood or not.
• Check if the staff is using sterilized needles to extract blood.
• Ask for your blood group type, hemoglobin count, blood pressure before going for blood donation.
• If you are affected with corona and recovered, then you need to take a gap of 14 days before going for blood donation.
• If you are vaccinated, then take a gap of 14 days before going for blood donation.

Precautions during Blood Donation:

• Make sure you have normal readings on temperature, pulse and blood pressure.
• Make sure your hemoglobin is above 12.5. See the readings and observe how they are checked.
• Do not get tensed while pinching with a needle in your vein. Little pain will come and you may feel discomfort for 2 minutes during blood donation. The less you feel tense, the better.
• Do not feel nervous during blood donation.
• Find ways to distract yourself from nervousness like thinking about other things during donation.
• Since the needles are sterilized, there is no need to worry about infections.

Precautions after Blood Donation:

• After blood donation, you will be asked to take a rest for 20 minutes, to make sure that if you are ok after the blood donation.
• If any bleeding occurs, keep pressure on the bleeding area and raise your arm until the bleeding stops.
• Drink some water or fruit juice with high sugar content to level up sugar levels in you.
• Do not drink anything if you have any fainting sensation.
• If you have to drive for long distances after blood donation, make sure you are ok and drink plenty of liquids before driving. Taking rest is much more important after blood donation.
• Eat high protein content food after the blood donation.
• Do not exercise with heavy lifts for one day after blood donation.
• Drink plenty of liquids to stay hydrated.
• Eat iron-rich foods to replace the lost iron from blood donation.
• Do not smoke or consume alcohol for 12 hours after blood donation.

Alcohol and tobacco consumption are of no use and better not to consume them.

They will stab your health like anything. Kindly refrain from those habits.

If you are alcoholic and willing to donate blood, do not take it for 24 hours before blood donation and 12 hours after blood donation.

Take iron-rich foods and vitamin c rich foods to maintain iron levels and immunity levels.

Drink plenty of liquids to stay hydrated.

Drink at least 3.5 litres of water on a daily basis.

Exercise regularly and stay fit and healthy.

Donate blood regularly, help the needy and maintain your health.

You can donate blood after a gap of 100 days from your previous donation.

So donate blood in your place, in your time and bring smiles to the needy people.

Please comment your views about this article.

Gaining knowledge is not knowing everything about something; it is knowing something about everything.