Marta, 52 years old, got out of bed in a hurry to answer the phone and felt everything spin for a few seconds. She held onto the wall, waited for it to pass, and continued her day normally. The following week, the same thing happened three times, and this time it was accompanied by darkening of her vision. That's when she decided to seek help.

This sensation of dizziness when changing position is extremely common and, in most cases, does not represent anything serious. But there are signs that deserve medical attention. Understanding the difference is the first step to caring for your health with peace of mind.

The data and clinical case cited in this article are fictitious and have a purely illustrative purpose, serving to facilitate understanding of the topic addressed.

Why does this happen?

When you are lying down or sitting for a time, blood tends to accumulate in your legs and abdomen due to gravity. When you get up quickly, your body needs to adjust blood pressure and blood flow to the brain in a few seconds. This mechanism involves the autonomic nervous system, blood vessels, and the heart working together.

When this adjustment takes a bit longer than normal, what is called orthostatic hypotension occurs, a temporary drop in blood pressure when changing position. It is this drop that causes the sensation of dizziness, visual darkening, or feeling of "lightheadedness" for a few seconds.

When this is considered normal

In most people, this type of dizziness is transient and benign, especially when it happens:

  • When getting up very quickly, mainly in the morning
  • After sitting or squatting for a long time
  • On very hot days or after drinking little water
  • After skipping meals or sleeping few hours
  • It lasts a few seconds and improves on its own, without other symptoms

These occasional, quick, and isolated episodes usually reflect only the time it takes for the body to rebalance circulation, with no disease behind it.

Signs that deserve attention

There are already situations in which dizziness when getting up should not be ignored. It's worth seeking medical evaluation when it comes accompanied by:

  • Fainting or near-fainting (loss of consciousness)
  • Chest pain, palpitations, or sensation of a racing heartbeat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sudden and very intense headache
  • Weakness or tingling on one side of the body, difficulty speaking or seeing
  • Episodes that repeat frequently throughout the week
  • Dizziness that lasts minutes and does not improve when sitting or lying down
  • Recent use of new medications, mainly for high blood pressure, diabetes, or depression

These signs may indicate causes that require investigation, such as cardiac arrhythmias, more significant dehydration, anemia, glucose alterations, medication side effects, or autonomic nervous system dysfunctions.

What to do to improve in your daily life

Some simple habit changes help a lot to reduce these episodes:

Get up in stages. When you wake up, stay sitting in bed for a few seconds before standing up, and only then start to walk.

Take care of your hydration. Adequate water intake throughout the day contributes directly to the volume of circulating blood and to blood pressure stability.

Avoid long periods of fasting. Eating regular meals helps maintain glucose levels and more stable blood pressure.

Pay attention to the hottest times. Intense heat favors fluid loss and can intensify symptoms.

Review your medication use with your doctor. Some medications for blood pressure, prostate, or mood can influence this mechanism, and adjustments in dose or timing can make a difference.

If the episodes persist even with these precautions, or if any of the warning signs are present, the ideal is to talk with a doctor to investigate the cause more deeply.

How telemedicine can help

A telemedicine consultation is an accessible way to begin this investigation. In it, it is possible to review your health history, the medications in use, the frequency and characteristics of the episodes, and define together with you whether additional tests are necessary, such as blood pressure evaluation, blood tests, or cardiology follow-up. This first guidance already helps to understand whether the case calls for only simple routine adjustments or a more in-depth investigation.

This content has an educational and informative character, not replacing individualized medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. Each case should be evaluated by a health professional.

Dr. Rebeca Soares Andrade CRM-GO 39335