Things to Know Before Donating Blood

Donating blood is a voluntary procedure that can help in saving lives. A blood donation occurs when a person donates their blood by choice. This pint of blood can be used in various medical surgeries or help in recovering from any blood loss. In some cases, the whole unit of blood is not required. Instead of the whole blood, some components of blood like RBCs, platelets, or plasma are required.

According to studies, every 2 seconds, someone needs blood in a day. As blood can only be produced inside our body, there is a subsequent requirement of someone else's blood when excessive blood is lost. Blood transfusion is one of the significant requirements in medical emergencies. Some need an immediate transfusion during surgeries or accidents. Mostly it is kept as insurance before surgeries. To fulfill this requirement, there should be an adequate amount of blood supply, thus, blood donation is of utmost importance.

Who Can Donate Blood?

To donate blood, there are some eligibility criteria. These are mandatory to be followed before hours or days before the donation.

• The donor should not have any medical conditions like disease or infection at the time of donation.
• The age of the donor should be in the age group of 18- 65 years.
• The minimum weight of the donor should be 50 kg.
• The hemoglobin level of the donor should be of a minimum of 12.5 g/dL.
• The donor should not be insulin-dependent if s/he has diabetes.

What to do Before Blood Donation?

Blood donation is a crucial process. Any kind of negligence would cause harm to the donor or recipient. So before donating blood, the donor should take proper care of themselves and follow a healthy routine.

Here are some of the to-do habits that one should practice before blood donation.

• Eat a healthy meal and get proper sleep the day before of donation.
• Drink plenty of water and other fluids hours before the donation.
• Try to have an iron-rich diet including spinach, red meat, fish, poultry, or beans a few days before the day of donation. An iron-rich diet can make up for the loss caused by blood donation. This prevents iron-deficiency anemia caused by blood loss.

What to Avoid Before Blood Donation?

There are certain food and beverages that one needs to take care of. These affect the quality of blood. There are some necessary precautions regarding blood donations:

• Avoid drinking alcohol 24 hours before donating blood as alcohol leads to dehydration.
• Limit junk food intake the day before the blood donation. These foods have fatty acids that affect the results of blood testing done after the donations. Consume foods that are healthy, excessive sugar levels in the blood can be harmful to the recipient.
• Do not take beverages like tea, coffee, red wine, or high calcium food like milk, yogurt, etc. with iron-rich food or supplements. If taken, they reduce iron absorption to a great extent.
• If you are donating blood for platelets requirement, then do not consume aspirin 2 days before the donation.

Conclusion

Donating blood is one of the greatest gestures done by humans. To make such a great cause more successful, it is advised to practice these healthy measures. These would help in obtaining good quality of blood from the donor. These also help in proper maintenance of the donor’s health and prevent any kind of harm or deficiency after the blood donation.

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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.​