Fainting is a Yeshuah

The following is from Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt”l, compiled on the Parsha of Ki Seitzei:

“[…] There are two reasons why a person lies down when he’s ill. One is because Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants a man to get well and when he lies down it puts less stress on his heart. The blood, instead of being pumped up and down, it’s pumped horizontally with less stress on the heart. When you lie down, there’s less stress on your organs and you can recover more quickly.

“That’s why people faint. Fainting is a yeshuah. It’s a salvation. It’s first-aid when you faint. You shouldn’t faint but it’s first-aid because then everything stops; everything quiets down and your body has a chance now to recuperate a little bit.

“But there’s another reason why people lie down when they’re sick or when they faint. Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants to show you that you’re not such a big shot. When you’re lying in bed and your head hurts and your stomach hurts and you’re sniffling and coughing, you can’t be a big shot – it’s impossible.”