Skip to main content
Elderly Blood Pressure Chart

Standing blood pressure check for the elderly

Does your blood pressure drop when you stand up? Dizziness on standing is a common cause of falls in older adults.

Enter both readings

1. Sitting or lying, rested 5 minutes
2. After standing up, within 3 minutes

Your result appears here.

How to do the check safely

  1. Sit or lie down quietly for 5 minutes, then measure.
  2. Stand up. Hold on to something steady, and ask someone to be near you.
  3. Measure again within 3 minutes of standing. Some doctors also ask for a reading at 1 minute.
  4. Enter both readings above.

What counts as a drop?

A fall of 20 or more in the top number, or 10 or more in the bottom number, within 3 minutes of standing is a common warning sign for low blood pressure on standing. It does not diagnose anything by itself. Show it to your doctor.

Source of the usual definition: see the US guideline summary and the European guideline. Pending medical review.