Blood donation is a safe and socially valuable medical procedure, which contributes substantially to the maintenance of public health. Despite its importance, a significant number of individuals experience intense anxiety, fear or even avoidance of the procedure, due to psychological factors related either to the physical intervention or to cognitive and emotional reactions.

One of the most common fears concerns the needle and the expectation of pain, while the fear of fainting or loss of control during blood collection is also particularly common. In addition, some individuals experience intense discomfort at the sight of blood, which is associated with phobic reactions of the blood-trauma-injection type. These reactions are often accompanied by catastrophic thoughts, such as the belief that “something dangerous will happen” or that “the body will not withstand the procedure”.

On a psychophysiological level, the above cognitions activate the anxiety mechanism, causing symptoms such as tachycardia, sweating, tremors, muscle tension, gastrointestinal discomfort and accelerated breathing. Hyperventilation can intensify the feeling of dizziness, resulting in the person interpreting their physical reaction as confirmation of their fear, reinforcing a vicious cycle of anxiety.

Dealing with anxiety before and during blood donation requires a combination of physical preparation and psychological management. Adequate hydration, eating a light meal and quality sleep before the procedure contribute to reducing the likelihood of dizziness and enhancing the feeling of physical safety. At the same time, informing the nursing staff about the existence of fear or previous negative experience allows the implementation of supportive interventions, such as placing the blood donor in a supine position and avoiding eye contact with the needle. Controlled breathing techniques are also particularly effective, through which the physiological arousal of the body is slowed down. Slow inhalation and prolonged exhalation contribute to the regulation of the autonomic nervous system and reduce the intensity of subjective anxiety. In addition, the technique of applied muscle tension, i.e. the alternating contraction and relaxation of large muscle groups, is considered particularly effective for the prevention of pre-fainting reactions in individuals with a relative predisposition.