# Getting Passed Out
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 27, 2001, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026 "2001-02-27T05:42:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kgriffey79](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kgriffey79)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/1 "2001-02-27T05:42:32Z")
How bad is it for you to get passed out be breathing really fast while bending over and then haveing your neck squeezed? Does it really make you stupid after a while? Does anybody know any FACTS about this and not just speculation.
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/2 "2001-02-27T05:46:34Z")
:eek:
Cut off the oxygen to your brain, you’ve got trouble. What’s with
> [@](#):
>
> and then haveing your neck squeezed?
or is this just some kind of, um … _you know_!
😊
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### Author:  [@kgriffey79](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kgriffey79)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/3 "2001-02-27T05:54:50Z")
You have posted 239 times in a month??? i have posted 31 since Aug 200 and no i am not joking. Another person (or yourself) will hold each side of the neck and squeeze. Then your vision gets all blurry. Next thing you now you are awake and your whole body tingles. It feels pretty funny. Its weird you kinda dream for a second or two before waking up. I twitched my first time. Fun stuff.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/4 "2001-02-27T18:35:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*Does it really make you stupid after a while? \*\*
Evidently.
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### Author:  [@dublos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dublos)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/5 "2001-02-27T18:45:59Z")
**kgriffey79**
From your description, your talking about what in wrestling terms is considered the sleeper hold, where you cut off the supply to the brain long enough to cause the person to lose consciousness. If I am reading this correctly, you’re asking if there are any known factual long-term detrimental effects from doing this.
Is that a correct paraphrase?
If that is your question, I don’t know the answer, but I thought I would make sure I was at least understanding the question.
-Doug
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### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/6 "2001-02-27T20:07:18Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by dublos \*
> \*\*From your description, your talking about what in wrestling terms is considered the sleeper hold, where you cut off the supply to the brain long enough to cause the person to lose consciousness. If I am reading this correctly, you’re asking if there are any known factual long-term detrimental effects from doing this.
> \*\*
I’ve heard of this too, i never knew it was the sleeper hold. I’ve just heard students (alright, no cracks about the idiocy of the average high school student) doing it. Or talking about it anyway. If you have to be breathing really hard before/as you press your hands against your neck, how can you do it to someone else? (Though I guess if its wrestling, the other person is likely to be panting…)
Perhaps for educational purposes, i should try it tonight? 🆒
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### Author:  [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/7 "2001-02-27T20:30:52Z")
I have had this done twice. It’s a lot like a big nitrous hit.
As to brain damage, I doubt it. The person holds your carotid shut until you pass out, and then immediately releases you. I think it highly unlikely that that would cause nerve death (although I am no cellular biologist, let alone a doctor). It’s more likely that arterial plaque could get dislodged and cause an embolism, or you fall and whack your head, etc.
People, if herb were legal people would be risking their necks for stupid shit like this so often. Rant off.
jb
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### Author:  [@dublos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dublos)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/8 "2001-02-27T21:08:54Z")
Well, assuming that’s the question the OP is asking about, I believe the risk factor is just the fact that witholding the blood from your brain, even for an instant is just plain dangerous.
That’s not to say that people are not doing things that are more dangerous than that every single day, but none the less, if ya wanna dream for a second or two and then wake up, why not just take a nap? 🙂
[sub]I am not a doctor, I have no medical training or expertise, this is simply my WAG[/sub]
-Doug
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### Author:  [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/9 "2001-02-27T21:41:15Z")
When my sensei taught us how to perform sleeper holds, he was very careful not to do it too hard on anyone (i.e., actually induce unconsciousness). Here’s what I was told at the time:
- there isn’t a lot to worry about in terms of long-term brain damage, but
- it’s not something you should do too often, since there’s always a chance that the blood vessel’s in the person’s neck might collapse or otherwise decide not to open again. Not good.
In short, probably safe, but almost certainly not worth the risk for just a goofy buzz. And watch that you don’t smash your head on anything as you pass out.
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### Author:  [@Rattler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rattler)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2001, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/10 "2001-02-27T22:16:35Z")
In high school/junior high I knew some guys (I hesitate to call them friends) who used to do this, and did it myself a couple times. The rush is caused by cutting off oxygen to the brain, obviously, and is the same as what you’d get by ‘huffing’ minus the chemicals or auto-erotic asphyxia minus the jerking off part.
After being passed out a couple times I found it mildly annoying. And even at 13 I realized I was trusting some slack-jawed moron to release the pressure as soon as I passed out. He could easily “forget”, let you go without 02 for more than 4 minutes, and you’re a vegetable. These yokels loved it, however, and would do it for hours on end during shop class and after school. Now that I think about it, the most successful one is now working construction.
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### Author:  [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2001, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/11 "2001-02-28T00:47:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by bibliophage \*
> \*\*
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > \*\*Does it really make you stupid after a while? \*\*
>
> Evidently. \*\*
The potential veracity of this statement notwithstanding, please refrain from this sort of thing in General Questions.
Thanks.
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2001, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/12 "2001-02-28T02:43:38Z")
> [@](#):
>
> _By kgriffey79_
> You have posted 239 times in a month???
[hijack]
Some noticed!! Yay!!
T’ain’t nothin’, pard. Check out **inor’s** rate some time.
[/hijack]
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2001, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/13 "2001-02-28T05:08:40Z")
When I learned sleeper holds back when I was studying for my brown belt, I was told that if done exactly right, no long-term problems would result. On the other hand, I was also told that if it’s not done exactly right, you could very easily accidentally kill a person this way. I don’t intend to experiment with it to find out more. I would also trust only a very few people to do this to me.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-passed-out/56026/14 "2001-02-28T05:29:01Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by manhattan \*
> \*\*
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > \*Originally posted by bibliophage \*
> > \*\*
> >
> > > [@](#):
> > >
> > > \*\*Does it really make you stupid after a while? \*\*
> >
> > Evidently. \*\*
>
> The potential veracity of this statement notwithstanding, please refrain from this sort of thing in General Questions.
>
> Thanks. \*\*
I apologize to the moderators, readers, and especially to **kgriffey79**. I’m sorry. I should know better.