The unfortunate truth is that sudden cardiac arrest is considered to be one of the leading causes of death in America. The reason why so many people who have cardia arrest outside of a hospital die is because there are no bystanders who are capable of performing CPR to increase the chances of survival.

The truth of the matter is CPR is exceptionally easy to master. In fact, CPR classes are taught to tens of thousands of willing individuals every year. Still need some convincing? Here are all the reasons why you should take CPR classes and get certified.

It Saves Lives

The biggest reason for anyone and everyone to take CPR classes is because CPR saves lives. There are more than 300,000 people who are going to have a cardiac arrest every single year in the United States. Sudden cardiac arrest is something that occurs when an electrical rhythm problem occurs in a person’s heart which prevents it from being able to pump blood through the body. The longer your body goes without this blood, the lower your chances of survival become. Performing CPR will help the blood continue to flow through the body until an ambulance and arrive to assist. CPR is so helpful that statistics show it more than doubles a person’s chance of survive when it is started early.

CPR Outside of a Hospital is Uncommon

Statistics show that the likelihood of a bystander stepping in and performing CPR is unlikely. In fact, only somewhere between 15 and 30 percent of individuals who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital are going to receive CPR. When people are later asked why they never started CPR the answer is usually the same – they didn’t know how. If everyone would take CPR classes, this is a problem that could be avoided. Naturally, people have other fears such as hurting the person, hurting themselves, legal risks, or concerns about infection. These other fears, however, tend to go away when a person attends CPR classes and receives proper CPR training.

Mouth-To-Mouth Isn’t Necessary

Another big reason why people do not do CPR in the field is because they do not want to do mouth-to-mouth. People who have this line of thinking are people who have never been formally trained to do CPR as this is not a necessary technique. In 2010, the guidelines for a person performing CPR changed. The guidelines state that if someone is uncomfortable with CPR or has not been formally trained with CPR – they should only do hands-on CPR. The truth is that hands-on CPR has proven to be just as effective and just as helpful for someone who has had a sudden cardiac arrest.

As you can see, taking CPR classes may be the reason you are able to save a person’s life one day. Do you really want to walk around in a world where no one knows how to perform CPR in a moment when it is needed most? You can be the first domino to fall by taking CPR classes.