Dizzy When Standing Up: Causes and When to Worry
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Pedro Yelamo Vera, MD
Licensed Physician No. 484814280 · Official Medical College of Bizkaia (Spain)Last reviewed: 31 October 2026
Dizzy when standing up? Why blood pressure dips, common triggers and medicines, what to do on the spot, and when fainting means calling 112.
You don't have to figure this out alone
Dr. Pedro Yelamo Vera is an independent, bilingual GP licensed in Spain. Book a 15-minute video consultation in English or Spanish for €50, with a private electronic prescription issued under Spanish law when clinically appropriate.
Feeling dizzy when standing up usually means your blood pressure dipped for a few seconds as blood pooled in your legs. It is common and often harmless, especially in the heat, after lying down or when you are short of fluids. If it happens often, makes you faint, or comes with chest pain, get it checked.
- The medical name is postural or orthostatic hypotension. In Spanish it is hipotensión ortostática.
- Common triggers: not drinking enough, heat, alcohol, a big meal, illness and some medicines.
- Sit or lie down at once, and get up in stages. Never walk on while dizzy.
- Blood pressure tablets are a frequent cause. Do not stop them yourself: ask for a review.
- Fainting with chest pain, a racing heart, during exercise or without waking within a minute: call 112.
Dr. Pedro Yelamo Vera is a GP licensed in Spain (Colegiado No. 484814280).
For a medical emergency, call 112 or go to the nearest local emergency department. Do not wait for a video consultation or an online reply.
Why do I get dizzy when I stand up?
When you stand, gravity pulls blood down into your legs and belly. Mayo Clinic explains that nerve sensors normally notice the drop. Your heart then beats a little faster and your blood vessels tighten. Within seconds, blood flow to the brain is back to normal.
If that reflex is slow, less blood reaches the brain for a moment. You may feel light-headed, see blurred vision, feel weak or even faint.
Doctors call this postural or orthostatic hypotension. MSD Manuals defines it as a fall of 20 mmHg or more in the top number, or 10 mmHg or more in the bottom number, within three minutes of standing. The UK tends to say "postural", the US "orthostatic". In Spain you will hear mareo al levantarse or bajada de tensión.
What are the common causes?
Most episodes have a simple trigger. Mayo Clinic and the NHS list:
- Not enough fluid: fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, heavy sweating or simply not drinking enough.
- Heat: hot weather, a hot bath or shower, or a crowded room.
- Alcohol.
- A large meal. Blood pressure can fall after eating, mainly in older people.
- Days in bed after an illness or injury.
- Pregnancy.
- Age. MSD Manuals says it affects about 15 to 20% of older adults.
Less often, the cause is a medical problem. Examples are anaemia, low blood sugar in people with diabetes, a thyroid or adrenal problem, a slow heart rate or a heart valve problem. Diabetes and Parkinson's disease can also damage the nerves that control blood pressure.
Can my medicines make me dizzy when I stand?
Yes, very often. Mayo Clinic lists water tablets (diuretics), alpha blockers, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors and nitrates. Some antidepressants, Parkinson's medicines, erectile dysfunction tablets and strong painkillers can do it too.
The risk is highest after a new medicine or a dose change. The NHS says that changing the medicine often helps. Do not stop a blood pressure or heart tablet on your own. Bring your list and some home readings to a doctor.
Dizzy on standing since starting or changing a blood pressure tablet?
You can book a video visit with a GP licensed in Spain, in English or Spanish. He reviews your readings and your medicines, and explains whether anything should change.
Is it the same as low blood pressure?
Not quite. The NHS defines low blood pressure as a reading under 90/60 mmHg, and many healthy people have it with no symptoms. Postural hypotension is about the drop on standing. You can have high blood pressure when sitting and still drop when you stand.
A doctor checks this with a lying and standing test. MSD Manuals describes it: blood pressure and pulse after five minutes lying down, then again after one and three minutes standing. Blood tests and a heart tracing (ECG) can look for a cause.
What is PoTS?
Some people, mostly younger adults, feel dizzy on standing even though their blood pressure barely falls. Instead, their heart races. MSD Manuals defines this as a pulse rise of 30 beats a minute or more, or a pulse of 120 or more, on standing. It is called postural tachycardia syndrome, or PoTS. Tiredness, poor concentration and palpitations are common. It needs a doctor's assessment.
What should I do when I feel dizzy on standing?
Act at once, before you fall. The NHS advice on fainting is:
- Lie down and raise your legs. If you cannot, sit with your head between your knees.
- If you are still standing, cross your legs, rock on your toes or clench your fists.
- Drink some water once the feeling passes.
- Get up again slowly.
To prevent it, MSD Manuals and the NHS suggest:
- Get up in stages: lying, then sitting on the edge of the bed, then standing.
- Drink enough fluid, more in the heat.
- Eat smaller meals and keep alcohol low.
- Raise the head of your bed, and ask about support stockings.
Extra salt sometimes helps, but MSD Manuals warns it can be risky with heart failure. Only add salt if a doctor advises it.
Is it normal to feel dizzy when standing in pregnancy?
It is common, especially in early pregnancy. NHS pregnancy advice links it to hormone changes. Later on, lying flat on your back can press on a large vein and make you feel faint. Get up slowly, eat small regular meals and drink water. If you feel faint lying down, turn onto your side.
Call 112 if you might be pregnant and have sudden, sharp pain low in your tummy with dizziness or fainting. The NHS lists this as a sign of an ectopic pregnancy.
What about children and teenagers?
The Spanish Paediatrics Association (AEP) notes that fainting is commonest in teenagers and is usually harmless. Getting up quickly, heat and crowds are typical triggers. A child who faints during sport, or with chest pain or palpitations, needs urgent medical care.
When is dizziness on standing an emergency?
Mayo Clinic stresses that losing consciousness, even for a few seconds, is serious. See a doctor after any faint. Call 112 if the person:
- Does not wake within one minute, or is not breathing.
- Has chest pain or a pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat.
- Fainted during exercise or while lying down.
- Has jerking movements, or trouble speaking or moving.
- Has weakness of the face, an arm or a leg.
- Was badly hurt in the fall.
- Is passing a lot of blood from the bottom.
See a doctor today if the dizziness is new and frequent, follows a new medicine, comes with vomiting or diarrhoea you cannot keep up with, or comes with black or bloody poo. If the room spins instead, that is vertigo, a different problem.
Talking it through with a doctor by video
Dr. Yelamo is a GP licensed in Spain. He sees adults, children and pregnant patients by video, every day from 07:30 to 20:30 (Spain time). In the visit he will:
- Ask when the dizziness happens and how long it lasts.
- Go through every medicine, drink and supplement you take.
- Talk you through a lying and standing blood pressure check at home, with someone beside you.
- Explain what to change, what to test and when to seek urgent care.
He does not promise any test or prescription before the visit. Where clinically appropriate, following a genuine evaluation. Treatment and prescriptions are issued solely at the doctor's discretion based on evidence-based clinical guidelines.
A prescription is never guaranteed: it is issued only where clinically appropriate after a genuine evaluation, as a private electronic prescription under Spanish law. This service is for urgent, non-emergency care. In an emergency, call 112.
See how the Urgent Care video visit works. It lasts 15 minutes and costs €50.
This guide is general information. It does not replace a consultation with your doctor.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I get dizzy when I stand up quickly?
Your blood pressure dips for a few seconds as blood pools in your legs. The body normally corrects it fast. Heat, dehydration, alcohol and some medicines slow that response.
Is dizziness when standing up serious?
Usually not, if it is brief and has a clear trigger. It needs a check if it happens often, makes you faint, or comes with chest pain or palpitations.
Can blood pressure tablets cause dizziness on standing?
Yes, especially after starting or changing a dose. Do not stop them yourself. Ask a doctor to review them.
What should I do if I feel faint?
Lie down and raise your legs, or sit with your head between your knees. Get up slowly once it passes and drink some water.
What is hipotensión ortostática?
It is the Spanish name for postural, or orthostatic, hypotension: a fall in blood pressure when you stand up.
Sources
- NHS: Low blood pressure (hypotension)
- NHS: Fainting
- Mayo Clinic: Orthostatic hypotension
- MSD Manuals: Orthostatic hypotension
- NHS: Ectopic pregnancy
- NHS Healthier Together: Fainting in pregnancy
- NHS: Bleeding from the bottom
- En Familia (AEP): Fainting (in Spanish)
Related guides
Medical Citations & Sources
This content is written and reviewed by a licensed physician with reference to the following official health authorities.
