Dizziness on standing up

definition

Getting up suddenly from a sitting or lying position can make you feel dizzy or black out. This is due to a short-term reduction in blood flow to the brain caused by the sinking of the blood into the leg veins and the resulting drop in blood pressure. There are different types of vertigo, including vertigo and vertigo.

What forms of vertigo are there?

Dizziness can be divided into several forms. These are the most common:

• Attack dizziness
• Constant fraud
• Dizziness with hearing impairment
• Vertigo
• Positional vertigo
• Drowsiness

The sinking of the blood into the leg veins and the resulting low blood pressure is to a certain extent common when changing position. However, this should trigger a reaction in the body that causes an increase in the activity of the autonomic nervous system, more precisely the sympathetic nervous system.

This ensures that the drop in blood pressure is contained. In addition, the heart rate increases so that the organs continue to have an adequate blood supply. However, if the body does not respond sufficiently, the low blood pressure can trigger symptoms. Symptoms would be dizziness, ringing in the ears or turning black in front of the eyes. If this occurs, it is called orthostatic dysregulation.

Read more on the topic: Dizziness from low blood pressure such as Symptoms of low blood pressure

Accompanying symptoms of dizziness when standing up

Almost everyone knows it and has already experienced it: getting up too suddenly from a lying or sitting position makes you dizzy. The dizziness is often accompanied by blackening of the eyes or flickering eyes.

These symptoms are typical of what is known as "orthostatic dizziness", which is caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure when changing position. By getting up quickly, the blood sinks into the legs and cannot be transported from there back to the heart quickly enough against gravity. As a result, blood pressure drops rapidly and the brain receives too little oxygen for a short time.

To compensate for the drop in blood pressure, the heart beats faster and those affected have palpitations. It also activates the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic system puts the body on alert and, by narrowing the blood vessels, ensures that the blood pressure rises again. Other typical signs of circulatory decline are sweating and ringing in the ears.
In rare cases, a very sharp drop in blood pressure can also lead to brief fainting spells (syncope).

Also read:

• Symptoms of low blood pressure
• Racing heart

Causes of dizziness when standing up

Dizziness when standing up can have different causes, but the situations in which it occurs are also important to consider. In the following you will find a list of the various situations and the related most common reasons for dizziness.

• Dizziness when stooping
• One-sided dizziness
• Dizziness with closed eyes
• Dizziness in bed
• Dizziness when standing up during pregnancy

Dizziness when stooping

There can be various causes behind dizziness when stooping. For this reason, it is important to see exactly how the vertigo is manifesting itself and when it occurs.

If the symptoms of dizziness are not noticeable when bending down, but when walking up, the cause may be in the cardiovascular system. More precisely, there is a regulatory disorder of the blood pressure in which there is dizziness when standing up or standing up from a lying or stooped position into an upright position due to a drop in blood pressure.
This drop in blood pressure is particularly felt in the head area, i.e. also in the brain, which is then perceived as dizziness. In technical terms, this is known as the orthostasis response. If, on the other hand, the dizziness actually occurs when stooping, there may be a benign (benign) Positional vertigo.

The semicircular canals of the inner ear play a key role in the proper functioning of our sense of balance. In these, when the head moves, a liquid is accelerated, which then forms a membrane with microscopic crystals (Otoliths) activated.

If parts of these crystals come loose, they can clog the semicircular canals and cause benign positional vertigo. Typical for this are short and violent attacks of vertigo, which occur especially when turning while lying down, but also when sitting down, looking up and making rapid head movements in general. You may also feel dizzy when you lie down.

The attacks usually last about 20 to 45 seconds and manifest themselves as vertigo; parallel to this, nausea and vomiting can occur. However, other symptoms such as double vision, ringing in the ears and hearing impairment do not occur. The benign positional vertigo is diagnosed by the doctor using a positional sample. In this case, the patient's head is quickly turned to one side, making the vertigo reproducible.

Fortunately, if it is benign positional vertigo, the vertigo when standing up can be treated very well and quickly. For this purpose, the doctor performs a special positioning maneuver, by means of which the detached crystal is released and the semicircular canal becomes free again.

Read more on this topic:

• Dizziness when stooping

Dizziness in the left or right side

Dizziness can have many causes. In order to be able to make an accurate diagnosis, it is therefore important to thoroughly investigate the symptoms of vertigo.
It is important to note if the vertigo occurs only on one side, or if the vertigo turns in a certain direction. The suspected diagnosis of a benign (benignPositional dizziness, which is in any case standing in the room with dizziness, solidifies as a result.

The benign positional vertigo has its cause in the semicircular canals of the inner ear, which form the organ of equilibrium. They contain microscopic crystals (Otoliths), which are attached to a membrane. If some of these crystals are blown off, it can clog a semicircular canal and thus trigger benign positional vertigo. This occurs mainly with rapid head movements and changes in position (e.g. standing up) and can be accompanied by nausea. The dizziness attacks usually last about 30 seconds. Treatment is quick and uncomplicated by the doctor performing a special positioning maneuver.

Dizziness with closed eyes

There are various criteria for classifying dizziness when standing up. A dizziness can roughly be transformed into a systematic (directed) and an unsystematic (undirected) Dizziness. ´
The latter is often caused by circulatory problems or the side effects of drugs, whereas the former is usually due to diseases of the balance organ in the inner ear or its pathways to and in the brain.
The systematic dizziness can present itself in various forms. These include both the vertigo, which feels like driving a carousel, as well as the vertigo such as when going on a boat, or the vertigo, in which the person concerned has the feeling of driving an elevator. A characteristic of systematic dizziness is that it occurs unchanged when the eyes are closed.
The most common cause of systematic dizziness is benign positional dizziness. Other possible clinical pictures that trigger systematic dizziness are Menière's disease and vestibular neuritis. Brain diseases, such as circulatory disorders, on the other hand, are very rarely the cause of dizziness when the eyes are closed.

Read more on the topic: Dizziness related to the eye

Dizziness in bed

Characteristic for the clinical picture of the benign (benignParoxysmal positional vertigo is vertigo that occurs when the head moves more or less quickly. This can cause dizziness when getting up from a stooped position, when standing up from a lying position or simply turning in bed. This leads to attacks of dizziness that last between 20 to 45 seconds and can be accompanied by nausea or even vomiting. It is also typical that the person concerned can name a certain direction in which the vertigo turns.

The cause of benign positional vertigo lies in a blockage of one of the semicircular canals of the inner ear. These fluid-filled arches are an essential part of our sense of balance. They contain membranes on which crystals (Otoliths) be liable. If one of these crystals breaks off, it can block a semicircular canal and cause vertigo symptoms. Treatment can usually be carried out quickly and easily by a specialist doctor.

Read more on the topic: Dizziness in the morning

Dizziness when standing up during pregnancy

Pregnancy can put a lot of stress on the body. In addition to the child's own body, that of the child must now also be supplied with nutrients and oxygen.
This means that the blood flow has to adapt to an increasingly larger circulation. Dizziness when standing up can occur due to fluctuations in blood pressure with a drop in blood pressure, which in turn can lead to dizziness. Especially if you get up very quickly and suddenly. This is rarely dangerous in itself, but it can cause falls and should therefore not be taken lightly.

Regular exercise, for example, can help to at least partially prevent these drops in blood pressure. However, you should not do too much sport; It is especially important to plan enough rest breaks. Alternating baths and Kneipp baths with cold water can also be helpful, as these stimulate blood pressure. Also make sure that you always drink and eat enough to prevent hypoglycaemia. Also, go about your usual activities a little more calmly than usual; avoid getting out of bed or sitting up too quickly.

Read more on the topic: Dizziness during pregnancy

Other causes of dizziness when standing up

As a rule, dizziness on standing up is idiopathic, that is, it occurs for no known cause. It mainly affects young women and thin people with thin and long limbs. However, dizziness when getting up can also be due to various underlying diseases.

• Venous valve insufficiency
• diabetes
• Decrease in the amount of blood circulating (hypovolaemia)
• Medication side effects
• Orthostatic dysregulation
• Cardiovascular diseases

Venous valve insufficiency

Venous valves in the veins, which ensure that the blood flows back towards the heart against gravity, can be damaged by varicose veins or an expired thrombosis.
As a result of this damage, they can no longer counteract the sinking of the blood into the leg veins in an appropriate manner and the return of the blood to the heart is no longer as efficient.

Also read: Venous insufficiency

Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus can also be caused by nerve damage (Neuropathy) cause dizziness, as the nerve damage causes the body's reaction to the sinking of the blood to no longer have any effect.

Read more about the connection between diabetes and dizziness: Diabetes mellitus

What drugs can cause dizziness?

It often occurs with drugs such as water tablets (diuretics), antihypertensive drugs (Antihypertensive drugs) and vasodilator drugs (Vasodilators) dizziness as a side effect.

Orthostatic dysregulation

The two most important clinical pictures associated with dizziness when standing up are benign positional vertigo and so-called orthostatic dysregulation.

The latter is the result of getting up too quickly from a lying or sitting position. As a result, almost half a liter of blood sinks into the veins of the legs. Usually this is compensated for by a narrowing of the blood vessels and an increase in heart rate.
In orthostatic dysregulation, however, there is a regulatory disorder of the blood pressure, so that the brain is not adequately supplied with blood for a brief moment. This then manifests itself in the form of dizziness.

The benign positional vertigo, on the other hand, has its cause in the fluid-filled semicircular canals of the inner ear. These are equipped with membranes on which microscopic crystals (Otoliths) sit. If parts of these crystals become detached, they can block the semicircular canals and thereby trigger symptoms of vertigo, more precisely vertigo. This then typically occurs in a seizure manner with sudden head movements, for example when turning in bed, and lasts for about 30 seconds. It can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

Iron deficiency

Sometimes dizziness when standing up can also be due to iron deficiency. Those affected often feel tired, exhausted and suffer from headaches. Typically young women are affected.

Especially if dizziness occurs very frequently after getting up, a doctor should clarify whether there is an iron deficiency. Iron is necessary for the transport of oxygen in the red blood cells. A deficiency causes the number of red blood cells in the body to drop and there is no longer enough oxygen available. This leads to an insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain, which is particularly noticeable when you get up quickly with a drop in blood pressure.

You can also find out more at: Iron deficiency

Therapy for dizziness when standing up

Normally no therapy needs to be considered if the blood pressure is too low. You can counteract it with simple measures and thus possibly also have a positive effect on dizziness when getting up. You can easily do the following yourself:

• slowly and carefully straightening up from a sitting or lying position
• adequate hydration
• Alternating showers
• Wearing compression stockings
• enough exercise
• increased salt intake to increase blood pressure

For more information, see: Home remedies for dizziness

Only in serious cases should a doctor prescribe a drug therapy. Drugs that constrict the blood vessels are considered here (Vasoconstrictors) or that activate the autonomic nervous system, i.e. the sympathetic nervous system (sympathomimetics).

If the vertigo leads to unconsciousness (syncope) when standing up, the legs should be put up immediately. Then it is advisable to consult a doctor. If necessary, the doctor can prescribe a medication which can then be taken if the symptoms recur, so that a renewed loss of consciousness (syncope) is prevented. As a rule, it is a so-called sympathomimetic, which stimulates the vegetative nervous system.

Read more about this under: Dizziness and the possible therapeutic measures,

What can you do about dizziness when you get up?

How to treat dizziness when standing up depends very much on its cause.
So what to do Various exercises for the sense of balance can partially improve the symptoms of dizziness. If you have low blood pressure, however, exercising can improve your symptoms or at least learn to deal with your low blood pressure.
Since many causes of dizziness that occur regularly are difficult or impossible to treat on their own, the first question that often arises is when to see a doctor. Some signs and symptoms should prompt you to seek advice from a doctor.

This includes, for example, if the dizziness occurs very suddenly and for no apparent reason. Especially if this happens regularly or if the dizziness persists for a long time, this is a serious warning.
If dizziness occurs not only when standing up, but also with sudden head movements, this indicates benign positional vertigo. This can easily be treated by a doctor. Even if symptoms such as headache, earache, ringing in the ears, drowsiness and fever occur in addition to dizziness, a doctor should definitely be consulted.
Persistent vertigo symptoms that occur at the same time as otitis media, flu, scarlet fever or another infectious disease are also noticeable.

Prognosis in case of fading when standing up

Dizziness on standing up and low blood pressure are usually harmless, but can significantly reduce the quality of life. However, one should be aware that low blood pressure is beneficial, as it does not stress the blood vessels as much and patients do not suffer from cardiovascular diseases as often.

If the dizziness when standing up is caused by an underlying illness, the prognosis is defined by the underlying illness.

Diagnosis of dizziness on standing up

At the beginning, the doctor-patient discussion and the general physical examination are of decisive importance.
Here the doctor can discuss whether there is an organic cause for the symptoms, whether there are side effects of medication or whether the dizziness when standing up is idiopathic. The physical examination can provide initial indications of an existing underlying disease.

The doctor may also do certain tests.

• Schellong test: repeatedly measuring blood pressure and pulse. At the beginning the measurements are taken within 10 minutes while lying down, then the measurements are taken while standing.
• Tilt table examination: Here, the patient is strapped to a movable table. First, the patient remains in the lying position for 20 minutes. Blood pressure and pulse are continuously monitored. The table is then tilted so that the patient is upright.

In these tests, the systolic blood pressure (first value) may drop by up to 20 mm Hg after standing up, the diastolic blood pressure (second value) by up to 10 mm Hg. In addition, the pulse should generally increase slightly.

In the further course it can be useful to take a 24-hour blood pressure measurement in order to record the daily course of the blood pressure. The blood pressure monitor used can easily be carried with you during the day and does not lead to any restriction. In addition, the activities completed should be recorded in a small diary in order to be able to establish a connection between blood pressure and employment.

Duration of dizziness on standing

In most cases, the onset of dizziness after getting up is a completely harmless reaction of the body to a change in position and not a cause for alarm. Symptoms usually go away in a short time and don't last for more than a few seconds to a few minutes.

If dizziness persists or if it occurs regularly, you should see a doctor.