What Happens When Someone Is Knocked Unconscious

Learn the science behind knockouts and the effect it has on the brain

Table of Contents

· What happens when you’re knocked out? · How are knockouts related to concussions? · What are the long-term effects of being knocked out? · What does being knocked out feel like? · Does a knockout guarantee brain damage? · What happens when you’re choked unconscious · Hire me to write for you! · Follow for More Content!

What happens when you’re knocked out?

To understand how a knockout works you first need to understand the basic composition of the brain. There are three main elements we want to understand. There’s a left hemisphere, a right hemisphere, and the brainstem at the bottom. You can lose consciousness if both hemispheres are turned off at once or if part of the brainstem is affected.

In a situation where you suffer a blow to the head, the head moves quickly, and the brain moves around in the skull. The heaviest parts of the brain put pressure on the brain stem, which may twist and become distorted as the rest of the brain moves out of place. This twisting and pulling on the brain may cause brain circuits to break or lose insulation and this can shut off parts of the brain. If the part of your brain responsible for consciousness is affected, then you will lose consciousness.

How are knockouts related to concussions?

Many people assume that if you don’t lose consciousness then you don’t get concussed, but this is false. Studies show that as much as 90% of concussions don’t involve losing consciousness. Any severe blow to the head can cause the brain to move around and damage parts of the brain. Even if the part of the brain responsible for consciousness isn’t damaged, other parts can be affected. Some common examples include vision problems, disorientation, memory loss, headaches, balance issues and more.

What are the long-term effects of being knocked out?

Roughly 75–90% of people that are knocked out will recover fully within a couple of months. However, more severe injuries can lead to long-term damage to the brain that affects memory and can cause paralysis, seizures, and other behavioral or cognitive changes.

What does being knocked out feel like?

The short answer is that it doesn’t feel like anything. If you have ever been knocked out or just hit really hard then you know despite how painful it looks, the person receiving the hit won’t feel anything and probably won’t even remember the strike that knocked them out. A knock punch simply puts the person to sleep, they will have no conscious feelings and will most likely suffer memory loss for the last 30 seconds-several minutes. The only pain comes from the numbing pain of the strike that led to them being KO’d, but you will feel no pain at the time of impact. Below is a first hand account by the UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal.

Does a knockout guarantee brain damage?

If you are knocked out it’s guaranteed that you suffered some form of brain damage. It’s the damage to the brain that triggers the loss of consciousness so it’s impossible to be knocked out without getting some sort of brain damage. However, it’s important to note that losing consciousness is not a prerequisite for getting brain damage.

What happens when you’re choked unconscious

When it comes to choking people, the trigger is much different compared to a blow to the head. Choking someone out is possible due to restricting blood flow to the head, rather than causing brain damage. The lack of oxygen to the brain, as a result, causes metabolic disturbances in the brain and this results in a loss of consciousness. Based on a study on bjjee.com, unconsciousness usually occurs between 8–14 seconds after putting someone in an effective choke hold. Once you release the chokehold then the person usually regains consciousness within 10–20 seconds. Compared to being knocked out which can have long-term side effects, choking someone out doesn’t leave any dangerous side effects and no brain damage for the person. Below is a live demo by the UFC Champion Jon Jones choking out a volunteer at an event in Germany.

Hire me to write for you!

I’m a freelance writer available for hire, if you would like me to create content like this for your website you can reach me at [email protected].

Follow for More Content!

If you enjoyed this article and would like to get more content please follow me and I’ll return the favor! Also, feel free to comment on this article, ask questions, leave statements, or give suggestions for any other articles you would like me to write!