In the United States, someone needs a blood transfusion every 2 seconds. There are 41,000 blood donations needed per day.
But what about the people who donate blood? Do they get any benefit?
Studies have shown that blood donors are 88% less likely to have a heart attack! This is thought to be due to the fact that donating blood appears to decrease the viscosity, or resistance to flow, of the blood and therefore donors are less likely to develop blockages.
Blood donors are less likely to be hospitalized, and if they are, they have shorter lengths of hospital stays.
When you donate blood, you get a mini physical, as you get your temperature, pulse, and blood pressure checked.
Blood donations are tested for 13 different diseases, and if anything is positive, the donor will be notified immediately. Of course, if a person knows they have an infectious disease, they should not donate blood.
Another benefit is that when you donate blood, your body has to burn calories to produce new blood. When you donate one pint of blood, you burn 650 calories.
But the most important reason to donate blood is that donating a single time can save up to three lives!
