Feeling faint
People who feel faint often say they feel 'light-headed' and feel as if they may collapse unless they sit or lie down. Most of us can remember times when we have felt like this. For example, when we have been ill with a fever, or when very hungry, or very emotional. However, some people have repeated episodes of feeling faint without an obvious explanation such as a fever. Causes include the following:
Orthostatic hypotension. This means your blood pressure drops when you sit up from lying, or when you stand up from sitting or lying. In particular, if you jump up out of bed after a nights sleep. The fall in blood pressure is just for a short time as the blood pressure quickly adjusts to your new posture. However, in some people the fainting feeling can be more severe and last for a few minutes. This problem tends to get more troublesome as you become older.
Anaemia. The main symptom of anaemia is tiredness. However, if you have anaemia you may not get sufficient oxygen to the brain. This can make you feel light-headed.
Arrhythmias and other heart problems. An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm when the heart may suddenly beat too fast, too slow, or in an abnormal way. There are various causes. One of the symptoms of an arrhythmia is to feel faint or light-headed as there may be a sudden decrease in blood supply to the brain as the arrhythmia develops. See separate leaflet called 'Abnormal Heart Rhythms (Arrhythmias)'. Various other heart disorders may cause a reduced flow of blood to the brain and cause you to feel faint or light-headed.
Anxiety. In particular, if you have anxiety with panic attacks you can feel light-headed. This can get worse if you over-breathe (hyperventilate) due to the anxiety or panic attack.
Medication. Feeling faint and/or light-headed is sometimes a side-effect of some drugs. It is always worth reading the information leaflet that comes in the drug packet to check if dizziness is a recognised side-effect.
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