7 Reasons You May Feel Dizzy After Standing Up

If you’ve ever stood up quickly and felt lightheaded, woozy, or like the room was spinning, you’re not alone. Feeling dizzy after standing up is common, especially during illness, dehydration, or as you get older. In many cases, it’s due to a temporary drop in blood pressure that happens when your body can’t adjust fast enough. 

Let’s take a closer look at what it means when you get dizzy after standing, why it happens, and what you can do about it.

Why do you get dizzy when you stand up?

The most common reason you get dizzy after standing is a condition called orthostatic hypotension. This happens when your blood pressure drops suddenly after you move from lying down or sitting to standing.

Whenever you stand, gravity naturally pulls blood toward your legs. Your body compensates by quickly tightening blood vessels and increasing your heart rate. This pushes your blood back up from your legs and keeps your blood flowing to your brain. With orthostatic hypotension, that adjustment is delayed, leading to dizziness or lightheadedness.

Common symptoms of orthostatic hypotension include:

• Lightheadedness or dizziness

• Blurry vision

• Weakness or fatigue

• Nausea

• Feeling faint or actually fainting (syncope)

Keep in mind that symptoms of orthostatic hypotension usually last only a few seconds to minutes and resolve once your body adjusts to your position change. If your dizziness is ongoing, severe, or happens even when you’re not changing position (when you’re just lying down, for example), it may point to another cause.

What can cause orthostatic hypotension?

Orthostatic hypotension can happen for many reasons. Some are temporary and easy to fix, while others may need medical attention. Common causes include medical conditions, dehydration, and older age. 

Let’s take a look at seven of the most common causes of dizziness after standing up.

EXPERT PICKS: WHAT TO READ NEXT

• Symptoms and signs of low blood pressure: Feeling lightheaded, faint, or dizzy can be tied to low blood pressure. Here’s how to recognize when it’s a concern.

• When dehydration becomes serious: Since dehydration can worsen drops in blood pressure and cause dizziness, this guide walks you through signs of severe dehydration and when to get urgent care.

• Explore medications that can cause dangerously low blood pressure. These medications may lower blood pressure enough to lead to dizziness or fainting.

1. Medications

Many medications can lower blood pressure or affect how your blood vessels tighten when you stand. Common culprits include:

• Blood pressure medications

• Diuretics (water pills)

• Erectile dysfunction medications

• Antidepressants

• Antipsychotics

• Medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease

2. Dehydration

When you’re dehydrated, your total blood volume drops, making it harder for your body to maintain a stable blood pressure after standing. This can happen if you’re not drinking enough fluids or if you’ve had vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or heavy sweating.

3. Older age

As you age, the body’s reflexes naturally slow down. This includes the reflexes that help regulate blood pressure when you stand. This makes orthostatic hypotension more common in older age. Older adults are also more likely to take medications or have medical conditions that increase the risk as well.

4. Medical conditions

Certain health conditions can interfere with how the body controls blood pressure, especially during position changes. For example, diabetes can damage the nerves that help tighten blood vessels. And heart disease and neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease can impair the body’s ability to quickly adjust the heart rate and blood pressure when you stand. 

Other conditions linked to orthostatic hypotension include: 

• Spinal cord injury

• Amyloidosis

• Chronic kidney disease

5. Pregnancy

During pregnancy, hormonal changes and shifts in blood circulation can lower blood pressure, especially in early pregnancy. This can make dizziness after standing more noticeable, particularly when combined with dehydration or fatigue.

6. Alcohol

Alcohol relaxes your blood vessels and can worsen dehydration. Both of these can increase the risk of your blood pressure dropping when standing. Symptoms are often more noticeable both immediately after drinking and the morning after.

7. Nutritional deficiencies

Low iron or vitamin B12 levels can contribute to dizziness, particularly during position changes. Iron deficiency can reduce oxygen delivery to the brain and vitamin B12 deficiency can impair nerve function. This can make it difficult for the body to regulate your balance and blood pressure. As a result, you may notice these deficiencies worsen symptoms of orthostatic hypotension.

How do you stop becoming dizzy when you stand up?

For many people, small changes can make a big difference. Helpful strategies include:

• Stand up slowly. Sit at the edge of the bed for a minute before standing. This gives your blood vessels and heart rate time to adjust to the change in position and maintain blood flow to your brain.

• Drink enough fluids. Water is often enough. During an illness that includes vomiting or diarrhea, oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte can help restore both fluids and electrolytes that support blood pressure.

• Avoid large meals. Try to avoid big meals, especially meals high in carbohydrates, which can divert blood flow away from the rest of your body to help with digestion. Eating smaller, more frequent meals may help reduce dizziness after standing.

• Limit alcohol. Alcohol can worsen blood pressure drops in some people by relaxing blood vessels and increasing fluid loss. 

• Wear compression stockings. These help prevent blood from pooling in the legs when you stand. Thigh-high or waist-high stockings are generally more effective than knee-high versions.

• Review your medications. A healthcare professional may adjust medication doses or timing if they’re causing your symptoms. In some cases, switching to a different medication can reduce symptoms without sacrificing treatment goals.

When should you seek care for dizziness when standing?

If your dizziness happens frequently or is getting worse, you should get medical care. If lifestyle changes aren’t enough, prescription medications, like midodrine, may be considered in select cases under medical supervision.You should also contact a healthcare professional if any of the following apply:

• You faint or nearly faint.

• Your symptoms interfere with daily activities.

• You have chest pain, shortness of breath, vision changes, or new neurological symptoms.

• Your dizziness occurs at rest or while lying down, not just with position changes.

• Your dizziness comes with other symptoms, such as blood in the stool, heavy periods, fever, palpitations, or a racing heartbeat.

These warning signs could indicate an underlying serious medical condition that should be evaluated and treated.  

Frequently asked questions

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Farzon A. Nahvi, MD

Farzon Nahvi, MD, is an emergency medicine physician and author of “Code Gray: Death, Life, and Uncertainty in the ER.” He works at Concord Hospital in Concord, New Hampshire, and teaches at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Edited by:

Karla Robinson, MD

Karla Robinson, MD, is a medical editor for GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified family physician with almost 20 years of experience in health through varied clinical, administrative, and educational roles.

Our editorial standards

Meet our experts