lightheadedness after standing up may have a simple antidote

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about 40 per cent of people experience dizziness when standing, but researchers have identified exercises that may ease the unpleasant feeling.

by chris arnold

published feb 10, 2022

last updated feb 20, 2025

3 minute read

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3 minute read

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lightheadedness after standing up may have a simple antidote

as much as 40 per cent of the general population is affected by initial orthostatic hypotension. getty

feeling lightheaded after standing up, a phenomenon caused by initial orthostatic hypotension (ioh) — a form of low blood pressure — could be a thing of the past thanks to researchers from the university of calgary.

scientists had found techniques that can mitigate the dizzy feeling when one comes to their feet. the research was published in the scientific journal heartrhythm.

“almost everyone has probably experienced some lightheadedness at some time after standing up,” satish r. raj, lead investigator for the study said in a statement. “for some people this is a frequent occurrence and may happen several times a day, which can be very frightening and negatively impact their quality of life. we wanted to explore this further and provide novel and effective symptom management techniques with the goal of improving the ioh patient’s quality of life.”

as much as 40 per cent of the general population is affected by initial orthostatic hypotension.

to stop or lessen the effects, raj and the team of researchers suggest special leg motions when it comes time to leave your seat. by crossing your legs and tensing just after standing, which the researchers called “tense,” or by raising your knees up as if you were to rock yourself forward, which researchers dubbed a “preact,” the team saw reduced dizziness.

participants in the study consisted of 22 women with an average of 33 years old. women with a history of fainting after standing, and who experienced more than four episodes of the dizzy sensation after standing per month were selected for the study. there were originally 24 participants in the study, but two were excluded due to insufficient heart rate data.

“our study provides a novel and cost-free symptom management technique that patients with ioh can use to manage their symptoms,” nasia a. sheikh, first author of the study said. “since it is a physical maneuver, it simply requires the lower body limbs, which patients can utilize at any time and from anywhere to combat their symptoms.”

by tensing the muscles as blood pressure would normally drop, patients were able to effectively offset the effect. the tense muscle decreased the drop in blood pressure and led to a reduction in symptoms of dizziness when standing.

the study demonstrates the physiology of initial orthostatic hypotension, and how patients can help to manage their own symptoms, co-investigator mary runté said.

“a diagnosis of ioh is identified by patients as the critical first step to empowering them to understand and master their symptoms and thus minimize the disruptions to daily living caused by this common, but not commonly understood, condition,” runté said.

the researchers did add that the study needs to be replicated in men, as well as the elderly, to further understand what sort of impact their simple movements could have on different populations.

“understanding the role of cardiopulmonary mechanoreceptors should also provide further mechanistic insights into the effects of these simple yet very effective physiologic maneuvers,” the scientists wrote in an editorial that accompanied the study.

researchers suggest that initial orthostatic hypotension is caused by large muscles activating, essentially, without enough warm up time. by just giving the muscles just a bit of activation beforehand, or by tensing them just as blood pressure drops, it is possible to significantly reduce the effects of initial orthostatic hypotension.

chris arnold is a toronto-based freelance writer. he can be reached here.

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