Fainting when standing up

The change from lying or sitting to standing normally prompts the heart and blood vessels to maintain brain blood flow. Dehydration, fever, blood loss, prolonged bed rest, heat, or medicines can interfere with that adjustment. Light-headedness, weakness, visual dimming, nausea, or unsteadiness can come first. A clinician may review your blood pressure in different positions and consider heart rhythm, blood count, blood sugar, and medicines; Anaemia and Hypoglycaemia are among possible contributors, but a symptom alone does not identify a cause.

Before rising, move your ankles and tighten your leg muscles. Sit at the edge of the bed, pause, then stand while holding a stable surface. If symptoms begin, sit or lie down straight away and raise your legs where practical. Ask for help after an episode, drink fluids if appropriate for you, and avoid driving until you know why it happened. Do not use a chair, ladder, or shower for support if you feel faint.

Arrange medical assessment for a first faint, repeated near-faints, falls, or symptoms that are becoming more frequent. Seek emergency help for chest pain, breathing difficulty, palpitations, severe injury, new weakness, trouble speaking, seizure-like activity, or failure to recover promptly. Fainting while exercising or while lying down is especially concerning and needs urgent assessment.

Tell your doctor whether the episode followed a medication change, illness, poor intake, heavy bleeding, or long bed rest. Ask how to measure your blood pressure safely, whether your medicines need review, and whether an ECG or blood tests would help explain the event.