Preventing Dizziness When You Get Up Quickly

Getting dizzy and light-headed when you stand up quickly is not unusual, but it can be a serious problem if it is bad enough to cause falls or injuries or loss of consciousness (syncope).

The problem is referred to as orthostatic or postural hypotension.  This means your blood pressure drops when you get up after being seated or laying down for some time.  This is similar to the occasional news story of kids at a parade or soldiers at boot camp passing out after they've been standing and not moving for a long time.  In fact, anyone will black out if they can't or don't move for a long enough period of time.

Please be aware that an actual sense of spinning is called vertigo, and is really an entirely different problem with different causes for the symptoms.

Your heart pumps blood out under pressure in your arteries to get blood all the way out to your hands and feet, and uphill against gravity to get to your brain.  This is the blood pressure we measure when you come to the office, or that you measure for yourself with an automated blood pressure cuff.  On the other hand, the blood getting back to your heart in your veins is under very little pressure and relies on you using your leg muscles to squeeze the veins in your legs, forcing blood up and back to your heart.

So if you've been asleep or laying down for a while, or sitting using a computer or watching TV for some time, 2-3 units of blood can "pool in your legs" as this blood is not being actively returned to your heart because you're not using your legs.  Generally, as you get up and start walking, this blood gets pumped back into circulation by you using your leg muscles.  However, under some circumstances this mechanism may not work properly, and then you get really dizzy and light-headed when you get up too quickly.  If you actually pass out, then your head gets to the same level as your heart, and blood flow to your brain is restored and you wake up.  This is why you can only donate one unit of blood at a time!

Things that can make this problem worse include dehydration, illness, medication side-effects, Parkinson's disease and aging.

If you are experiencing this problem, please let us know.  If you are concerned that it is due to medications, definitely let us know!

You can help to prevent this dizziness by flexing your leg muscles several times before you stand up.  If your balance when sitting is not so good, flexing your leg muscles when you are laying down in bed also helps!

Sunscreen's Best Kept Secret

Sunscreen is important in preventing eventual development of skin cancers from accumulated sun exposure to your skin over the years.

However, applying it daily can also prevent aging and wrinkling of your skin even if you don't plan on going outside.  An Australian medical study demonstrated that daily application of SPF 15 sunscreen year 'round in patients up to 55 years old helped to prevent sun-damaged wrinkling of the skin and led to younger looking skin by *cough* middle age!