It's important information to know to prevent a similar accident from happening to you.
The Los Angeles meteorologist who fainted on the air over the weekend has spoken out about what happened and explained why she believes she got lightheaded.
Alissa Carlson collapsed during KCAL-TV’s Saturday morning news broadcast, which caused many viewers at home to panic.
“Initially when this happened, a lot of people including myself thought I as having a heart attack... That was not the case, thank goodness,” she told “CBS Mornings” Tuesday.
Carlson said that because she hadn’t had breakfast and was drinking coffee, she “was probably a little dehydrated.”
“So at that point I thought I just will power through. I will be fine as I usually am,” she said.
However, powering through was not the correct decision, as she told Gayle King, “I could feel the tunnel vision coming and just starting to get black.”
She has also been diagnosed with vasovagal syncope.
“Vasovagal syncope is the most common type of fainting. It occurs when your nervous system unexpectedly triggers your heart rate to go down and your blood vessels to dilate so your body tried to compensate and it collapses," Dr. Holly Andersen, a Cardiologist, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, tells Inside Edition.
The condition affects millions of Americans, as one out of three people experience vasovagal syncope at least once in their lifetime, so it's important to recognize the warning signs.
Anderson says symptoms include lightheadedness, darkening of your visual fields and a sense of nausea. If you feel like faint, you need to get your head down, so lying or sitting down is recommended.
