What makes you light headed when you stand up

Every time your head moves, the peripheral vestibular system sends information about how you are moving to the central vestibular system, which is located in the brain. When the central vestibular system receives information about how your body is moving, it will proceed to tell all of the muscles throughout your body how to adjust in order to keep you moving in the direction you want to go.

If anything goes wrong in the peripheral or central vestibular system, the information your body gets about how to move will be inaccurate, and you will feel a form of dizziness called dysequilibrium. Although the vestibular system is incredibly complex, there are clues that you can use to help narrow down where your dizziness is coming from. Most people who experience chronic dizziness have an abnormality in the peripheral vestibular system, which will often respond well to physical therapy.

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy VRT is a form of physical therapy that can break up these crystal aggregations and stop you from feeling imbalanced. Another common cause of dizziness is abnormal regulation of blood pressure. This is particularly relevant to cases of dizziness that occur when you stand up from sitting or lying down.

As a result, you will feel woozy or lightheaded. Normally this sensation is over very quickly about a second , but if you are experiencing prolonged dizziness after you stand up there may be a more serious underlying issue. Physical therapy can be a very beneficial treatment for dizziness caused by poor circulation. The experts at FYZICAL can help you develop a holistic, whole-body approach to managing orthostatic hypotension using evidence-based therapeutic techniques and exercises. Dizziness that is experienced while you are standing as opposed to immediately after you stand up or walking is likely to be related to your vestibular system.

If you experience sudden dizziness while you are standing, take note of the position of your head and what you are doing when you feel imbalanced.

This can help you and your physiotherapist identify the specific cause. If you experience vertigo when look up or down or you tilt your head, you may have benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo BPPV. BPPV is a consequence of peripheral vestibular system inner ear dysfunction or injury. The inner ear is responsible for sending information about your balance and physical orientation to the brain. The result is a mismatch between your actual position and your position as perceived by your brain, which causes you to feel dizzy.

BPPV responds very well to physical therapy. Vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis are two other common causes of dizziness when you are standing. Sleeping with the head of the bed raised may help relieve symptoms. For some people, increasing salt intake may increase water retention and lessen symptoms.

Doctors may recommend that people increase their salt intake by liberally salting food or taking sodium chloride tablets. However, increasing salt intake may not be recommended for people with heart disorders. Doctors may give fludrocortisone , a drug that helps the body retain salt and water and thus prevent blood pressure from dropping when a person stands.

However, this drug may cause high blood pressure when people are lying down, heart failure, and low levels of potassium in the blood. Sometimes doctors combine propranolol or another beta-blocker with fludrocortisone.

Midodrine is a drug that narrows both arteries and veins, helping prevent blood pooling. Side effects include tingling or numbness and itching. This drug is not recommended for people with coronary artery or peripheral arterial disease.

Other drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , droxidopa , pyridostigmine and octreotide may help in some cases. It is more common among people with coexisting disorders, especially high blood pressure, and among residents of long-term care facilities.

Many falls may result from dizziness when standing. Older people should avoid prolonged standing. The increased incidence in older people is due to decreases in the responsiveness of the receptors that manage blood pressure plus increases in arterial wall stiffness, which make it more difficult for arteries to move more blood to increase blood pressure. Decreases in receptor responsiveness delay the normal heart and blood vessel responses to standing.

Paradoxically, high blood pressure, which is more common among older people, may contribute to poor receptor sensitivity, increasing vulnerability to dizziness when standing. Dizziness or light-headedness when standing typically involves a decrease in body fluid volume or autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Aging often causes some degree of autonomic nervous system dysfunction, but doctors examine all affected people to ensure that no nervous system disorders are present.

Treatment involves physical measures to reduce venous pooling, regular exercise, increased salt intake, and sometimes fludrocortisone or midodrine.

Merck and Co. From developing new therapies that treat and prevent disease to helping people in need, we are committed to improving health and well-being around the world. The Manual was first published in as a service to the community.

Learn more about our commitment to Global Medical Knowledge. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. To learn more about orthostatic hypotension, please visit www. The American Academy of Neurology, an association of 30, neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care.

A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. Email Renee Tessman or M. Please contact your health care provider for questions specific to your individual health history or care. Be particularly careful when getting up from bed. Sit on the edge of the bed for a couple seconds before standing and take a couple seconds before you start walking to give your body a chance to respond.

Similarly, use caution in the morning or after prolonged periods or lying down, when getting up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, after large meals and after hot showers.

Many things can affect how you regulate your blood pressure when you stand. Things such as age, medications, medical problems, dehydration, and even deconditioning can be associated with postural dizziness. If this is happening often, see your doctor.