Unresponsiveness can last for a few seconds (e.g. fainting) or for a long time. It’s often brought on by serious illness or injury (e.g. a head injury), or by taking alcohol or other drugs. Find out what to do if an adult is unresponsive and breathing.
When someone looks like they’re asleep but they’re unable to respond to noise or body contact, it’s likely they’re unresponsive.
1. Place their arm nearest you at a right angle to their body, with their palm facing upwards.
2. Take their other arm and place it across their chest so the back of their hand is against their cheek nearest you, and hold it there. With your other hand, lift their far knee and pull it up until their foot is flat on the floor.
3. Now you’re ready to roll them onto their side. Carefully pull on their bent knee and roll them towards you. Once you’ve done this, the top arm should be supporting the head and the bent leg should be on the floor to stop them from rolling over too far.