Get a Standing Head Rush? It May Be a Blood Pressure Drop
Health ConditionsCardiovascular Diseases

Why You May Feel Dizzy or About to Pass Out When Standing or Climbing Stairs

Why You May Feel Dizzy or About to Pass Out When Standing or Climbing Stairs
Getty Images
By
Updated on July 31, 2025
by

If your vision gets dark as you stand up, or you get a head rush when climbing stairs, it may be a drop in blood flow to your brain. This is known as orthostatic hypotension.

Orthostatic hypotension rarely leads to long-term problems, and the condition itself can present mildly. But it could also be a symptom of something more serious like cardiac syncope.

Learn more about what's behind these conditions and when to talk with your doctor.

What Is Orthostatic Hypotension?

Orthostatic hypotension is the dizzy feeling you get when standing up after sitting or lying down. Another name for it is postural hypotension.

"When you stand up quickly, blood can still be pooled in the bottom part of your body," explains James Winger, MD, an associate professor of family medicine at the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. "Receptors in your body automatically tell your heart to beat faster and your blood vessels to squeeze down to force more blood up to your brain. When this reflex is too slow, you can start to feel dizzy and you may even pass out."

Symptoms

Dizziness is the most common symptom and usually lasts for just a few minutes. Other signs and symptoms may include:

  • Blurred vision or seeing spots
  • Weakness
  • Nausea
  • Confusion
  • Passing out and falling

Causes

Dr. Winger says medication is the most common cause of orthostatic hypotension. He also notes that dehydration is another common cause, and that the people at the highest risk are seniors living with chronic diseases who take multiple medications.

Orthostatic hypotension is most common after age 65. Common drugs that may contribute include heart and blood pressure medications, muscle relaxants and medications that treat Parkinson's disease.

Diseases that can contribute include diabetes and diseases of the heart and nervous system. Other risk factors include heat exposure, a long period of bed rest and alcohol use.

What Is Cardiac Syncope?

Cardiac syncope is when there’s not enough blood getting to your brain. The cause may be an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia), poor blood flow to your heart muscle, an abnormal heart valve, or heart failure.

"If you pass out, or feel like passing out during or after exercise, like climbing stairs, it may be more serious than orthostatic hypotension," Winger says. "Syncope after exercise is a red flag. It may be a sign of a problem with your heart."

The most common sign of syncope is passing out. You may also have symptoms before passing out:

  • Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
  • Feeling drowsy or groggy
  • Changes in vision
  • Headache
  • Heart palpitations
  • Nausea

When to Talk With Your Doctor

Winger says you should tell your doctor about frequent orthostatic hypotension, or if symptoms last longer than a few minutes.

"You should always tell your doctor if you pass out or fall," he says.

In terms of treatment, increasing fluids and salt intake may reduce symptoms in some cases. For others, drugs for high blood pressure may need to be reduced or changed. Other treatments may depend on diagnostic testing.

The Takeaway

  • Physical activity like climbing stairs, or even standing up too quickly, may cause a lightheaded feeling known as orthostatic hypotension.
  • Orthostatic hypotension can be relatively benign, or it could be a sign of something more serious. It could also be a different condition known as cardiac syncope.
  • Talk with your doctor if you experience fainting or if the symptoms of orthostatic hypotension last longer than a few minutes.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Orthostatic Hypotension (Postural Hypotension). Mayo Clinic. May 26, 2022.
  2. Orthostatic Hypotension. Cleveland Clinic. November 7, 2022.
  3. Mizrachi EM et al. Cardiac Syncope. StatPearls. April 10, 2023.
  4. Grossman SA et al. Syncope. StatPearls. June 22, 2025.
  5. Syncope (Fainting). American Heart Association. October 21, 2024.
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network

Sanjai Sinha, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor
Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician and an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program at Weill Cornell Medical College. Helping patients understand health information and make informed decisions, and communicating health topics effectively both in person and through patient educational content, is a challenge that animates his daily life, and something he is always working to improve.

Dr. Sinha did his undergraduate training at the University of California in Berkeley, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City in 1998 and completed his internship and residency training at the New York University School of Medicine in 2001. Subsequently, he worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs from 2001 to 2012 and held faculty appointments at both the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

In 2006, he won the VISN3 Network Director Award for Public Service and a commendation from the secretary of Veterans Affairs for his relief work after Hurricane Katrina. He joined Weill Cornell Medical College in 2012, where he is an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program, as well as a practicing physician.

In addition to his work for Everyday Health, Sinha has written for various publications, including Sharecare and Drugs.com; published numerous papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as the Journal of General Internal Medicine; and presented at national conferences on many healthcare delivery topics. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
See full bio
Chris Iliades

Chris Iliades, MD

Author

Chris Iliades, MD, is a full-time freelance writer based in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. His work appears regularly on many health and medicine websites including Clinical Advisor, Healthgrades, Bottom Line Health, HeathDay, and University Health News. Iliades also writes a regular blog for The Pulse, a website for fetal health and pregnancy.

Iliades is board-certified in Ear, Nose and Throat and Head and Neck Surgery. He practiced clinical medicine for 15 years and has also been a medical director for diagnostic research and a principal investigator for clinical research before he turned to full-time medical writing.

See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network