What are the benefits of donating blood?

Unfortunately, due to illness and fatal accidents, thousands of people needblood every day and blood banks can’t always fulfill the required amount. Especially, due to the pandemic, the requirement has gone up manifold. The responsibility lies with Good Samaritans to lend a helping hand and save a few lives. While donating blood is a noble cause, there are benefits of blood donation. However, it’s also important that you should be well-aware of the blood donationprocedure and other aspects before you volunteer to do it. Read on to know more about the benefits of donating blood.

1. Benefits of blood donation

• Improves health of donor:

Many people are apprehensive about donating blood. They think that they will get weaker if they donate blood. On the contrary, blood donation is quite beneficial for the donor. It not only saves the lives of others, but also improves the health of the donor.

• Improves heart health:

Your overall cardiovascular health improves when you donate blood. Especially, men are more benefitted as blood donation helps to reduce the amount of iron in the blood. (If you are wondering why only men, then it’s because women lose blood during the menstrual cycle). An increased level of iron can lead to several heart diseases, but by donating blood, the chances of heart attack and stroke can be reduced upto 88% and 33% respectively.

• Improves fitness:

Donating blood on recommended intervals improves your fitness as every pint of blood (450ml) burns 650 calories in the donor’s body. However, donating blood as a way of reducing weight is not suggested by health experts.

• Lowers cancer risk:

According to the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, consistent blood donation lowers the risk of cancer.

• Improves the immune system:

Blood donation improves your immune system as your spleen gets revitalised after donating blood.

2. What is the procedure of donating blood?

The whole process of blood donation, from the time you reach the site to the time you leave, will take about an hour, but the actual donation takes about 10 minutes. If you volunteer to donate blood, it’s important that you know the whole procedure.

Before Donation

• Ensure you have slept well the previous night

• Drink plenty of water/juice and eat something substantial and healthy 3-4 hours before donating blood

• On reaching the site, you will be asked to fill up a donor form, which will have a few questions about yourself, your health, donation history, etc.

• Thebody temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and haemoglobin content in blood will be checked to ensure that the donor is healthy

During Donation

• If the donor is found fit, he/she will be taken to the donor room and asked to lie down on a resting chair or a cot

• A phlebotomist (an employee who draws blood) will clean the armthoroughly. Then,with sterile equipment, blood will be collected in a special plastic bag.

• In one donation, approximately 350ml of blood is collected. This process will take about 10 minutes.

• When blood is being taken, keep pressing the sponge provided. This ensures proper blood circulation.

• After donating blood, do not get up immediately.Lie down for 5 more minutes to allow the blood flow in the body to normalise.

After Donation:

• Rest and relax for at least 10 minutes before leaving. Light snacks and a refreshing drink will be served.

• Drink more fluids than usual in the next 24-48 hours

• Do not smoke for the next 30 minutes

• Refrain from taking alcohol at least 8 hours after giving blood

• If you experience dizziness, either lie down or sit with the head between the knees

• If there is bleeding from the site where you donated, raise the arm, and apply pressure for a few minutes

• If there is bruising in that area, apply an ice pack on it

• If everything is fine, you can resume all normal activities

• Do not go for any rigorous exercise for the next 24 hours, especially lifting heavy weights

• Do not take the stairs immediately

3. What are the Best Foods to Eat before Donating Blood?

After donating blood, one may experience some side-effects like fatigue, loss of energy, or dizziness. These side-effects can be prevented by consuming the right foods and drinks before going for the noble cause.

• Drink plenty of water:

Drink plenty of fluids like water and fruit juices the night before and on the morning of blood donation. Staying hydrated is important for you, as during the donation process, you lose fluids because of which the blood pressure can drop and cause dizziness.

• Eat iron-rich foods:

Eat food that is rich in iron as our body needs to produce haemoglobin that, in turn, carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Some iron-rich foods are whole grains, spinach, sweet potatoes, peas, broccoli, rice flakes, raisins, dates, figs, and watermelon. If you are a non-vegetarian, you can have eggs, lamb, chicken, fish, and shellfish like tuna and shrimp.

• Consume Vitamin C:

You should eat food items rich in Vitamin C like citrus fruits and juicesthat help to increase iron absorption.

4. What To Avoid Before Blood Donation?

Now, let us take a look at all the foods that one should avoid before donating blood to avoid any side-effects.

• Alcohol:

Medical experts suggest that alcoholic drinks should be avoided at least 24 hours before giving blood because alcohol causes dehydration.

• Fatty Foods:

Before your blood is used for transfusion, it will be tested for any infectious disease like HIV, hepatitis C. If there’s too much fat in your bloodstream, the test may not show accurate reading and the blood donated by you will be of no use. So, skip foods high in fat, such as French fries, ice cream or burgers before donating blood.

• Iron blockers:

Certain foods and substances block the absorption of iron in the body. This does not mean that you avoid taking these foods completely, but make sure you don’t consume these along with iron-rich foods. Maintain a gap of 4-6 hours between these foods. Tea and coffee, chocolate, red wine, and high calcium foods such as milk, cheese, curd are some iron blockers.

• Aspirin:

If youare donating platelets, avoid taking aspirin 48 hours prior to that.

Conclusion

There’s a sense of accomplishment for helping someone in need and spreading joy. But, before donating blood, make sure you have a healthy lifestyle. For medical emergencies, it is better to be prepared with a health insurance. If you do not have one already, you can avail of health insurance online today and stay secured!

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.