How To Make Yourself Light Headed: 7 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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How to Make Yourself Light Headed Download Article Co-authored by Bailey Cho

Last Updated: November 17, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Standing Up Quickly
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• Holding Your Breath
|
• Q&A
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• Tips
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• Warnings

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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Bailey Cho. Bailey Cho is an Editing Fellow at wikiHow, based in Dallas, TX. She has over 2 years of editorial experience, with work published in student journals and lifestyle publications. Bailey graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Advertising and a Minor in Business. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,279,817 times. Learn more...

You might want to feel lightheaded to fake a faint or make yourself pass out. The feeling of lightheadedness can be a response to a drop in blood pressure or blood flow to the head, which can happen when you get up too quickly after sitting or lying down for a long time. You can trigger the sensation in a few ways, but you should be careful. Caution: Making yourself lightheaded can cause you to faint, hit your head, or cause more serious harm to your body.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 2:

Standing Up Quickly

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1. 1 Crouch. Bend your knees, get low to the ground, and hang your head low. When you stand up quickly after you’ve been sitting or lying down for a while, you may experience a head rush (a sudden drop in blood pressure that makes you feel lightheaded).[1] If you haven’t been sitting or lying down for long, try crouching down and breathing rapidly to simulate the process.
   • Warning: Fainting caused by lightheadedness can cause a person to hit their head and die from concussive damage.
   • Be aware of external factors. You’re more likely to feel lightheaded if you’re dehydrated or in an overheated, cramped, or stuffy environment. If you get too lightheaded, you might faint or vomit.[2]
   • Consider standing on your head or performing a handstand. Turning yourself upside-down can cause blood to rush to your head.[3] So, stay upside-down for a minute or two until your head feels heavy, then stand. Make sure that you have plenty of neck support.
2. 2 Breathe quickly and deeply in your crouched position. In theory, this can decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood, which can make you feel lightheaded.[4] Keep breathing and crouching for at least thirty seconds, and as long as several minutes. Keep in mind that the longer you stay down, the more likely you are to feel lightheaded upon standing.
   • The heavier and faster you breathe, the higher your heart rate will go, which can increase blood flow.
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3. 3 Stand up quickly. Hold your head high, and don’t move around much. Standing up quickly moves blood away from your heart and brain, causing it to pool in your legs. When the process of pumping blood back up to your heart happens incorrectly or too slowly, it can make you feel lightheaded.[5]
   • You might experience blurry vision, difficulty breathing, chest pain, nausea, or weakness.
4. 4 Wait a few minutes before walking. It’s best to stand still for a few moments and enjoy the sensation. Let your vision return to normal, and let your brain restore its balance. If you try to walk while you’re feeling lightheaded, you might trip, fall, or injure yourself.[6]
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Method 2 Method 2 of 2:

Holding Your Breath

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1. 1 Try holding your breath for longer than usual. Your body needs a steady flow of oxygen to survive. When you hold your breath, you deprive your body of oxygen, and your brain and heart aren’t able to function properly.[7] If you hold your breath until you feel uncomfortable, even for just a matter of seconds, you might be able to make yourself lightheaded.
   • Warning: If you hold your breath long enough, you could pass out, and the falling or fainting episode may cause you to hit your head, break your arm, or injure yourself.
2. 2 Be very careful. Don't hold your breath for too long, or you might pass out. Some people can safely hold their breath for 90 seconds, but most hit the safety threshold between 60 and 90 seconds.[8] No matter what, do not deprive yourself of oxygen where you can’t manually override—you're playing with your life here. Only hold your breath if you can resume breathing again at a moment’s notice. This means:
   • Do not seal your head inside an airtight container, like a bag or plastic wrap, and do not plug your nose and your mouth at the same time. You run a high risk of suffocating.
   • Do not try to make yourself lightheaded underwater. If you pass out underwater, you might not be able to bring yourself to the surface, which may lead to drowning.
   • Do not try to make yourself lightheaded while you’re doing anything that requires your full attention, such as riding a bike or driving a car, or while standing on the edge of a high place.
3. 3 Prepare to see stars and feel very dizzy. Your vision may go dark, and your brain may feel temporarily empty. The sensation might be overwhelming, and you may feel like passing out. Don’t try to walk until your head clears, and make sure you are always in control of your breathing. Otherwise, you risk brain damage or even death. Seek urgent care if you feel lightheaded or faint while sitting or lying down, or if your lightheadedness causes you to fall and injure yourself.[9]
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Community Q&A

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• Question If I were to do it, how long would it last? Community Answer A few seconds. If won't last for long since the brain and heart will work hard to get oxygen. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 127 Helpful 469
• Question How will knowing how to pass out help? Community Answer You could make yourself pass out in class so you can go home. Plus, it doesn't hurt knowing how to do it, as it could come in handy some day. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 172 Helpful 1329
• Question Will I still breathe if I faint? Community Answer Yes. This is why you can't actually suffocate yourself. Eventually, you will faint, and during this time, you will begin to breathe regularly again. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 93 Helpful 523

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Tips

• The faster and deeper you breathe, the dizzier you should become. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 0
• Another tactic is to spin around rapidly in a circle until you feel dizzy. Keep in mind that you may feel nauseous if you spin too much. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 2
• Make sure you're near a soft surface such as a bed, couch, or carpet. If you faint, you don’t want to hurt yourself by falling onto an unforgiving surface. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

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Warnings

• You can destroy brain cells by depriving your brain of oxygen. If your brain is deprived of oxygen for more than a few minutes, you can die. Be aware of the risks, and don’t push your body too far for a cheap thrill or social media challenge.[10] Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Call emergency services if you are lightheaded and: have pain or pressure in your chest, arms, jaw or back, have heart palpitations, feel sick, cold and sweaty, have trouble talking or are confused, can’t breathe properly, are numb or weak on one side, have blurred vision or a headache, and/or have an injury or are bleeding.[11] Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

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References

1. ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/dizzy-spells-when-you-stand-up-when-should-you-worry
2. ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/fainting.html
3. ↑ https://bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-020-01638-z
4. ↑ https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=hypvn
5. ↑ https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/feel-dizzy-when-you-stand-up-what-it-means-and-what-do-about
6. ↑ https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/lightheadedness
7. ↑ https://health.osu.edu/health/general-health/what-happens-when-you-hold-your-breath
8. ↑ https://health.osu.edu/health/general-health/what-happens-when-you-hold-your-breath
9. ↑ https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/lightheadedness

More References (2)

10. ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/head-neck-nervous-system/Pages/Dizziness-and-Fainting-Spells.aspx
11. ↑ https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/lightheadedness

About This Article

Co-authored by: Bailey Cho wikiHow Staff Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Bailey Cho. Bailey Cho is an Editing Fellow at wikiHow, based in Dallas, TX. She has over 2 years of editorial experience, with work published in student journals and lifestyle publications. Bailey graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Advertising and a Minor in Business. This article has been viewed 1,279,817 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 61 Updated: November 17, 2025 Views: 1,279,817 Categories: Feigning Illness Article SummaryX

If you want to make yourself light-headed, crouch down and hang your head as low as you can, then stand up quickly after a few minutes. The longer you stay down, the more likely you are to feel light-headed when you get up. To make the experience more intense, try breathing rapidly and deeply to increase your blood flow, which will rush to your head once you stand up. If you can, stand on your head or do a handstand instead of crouching, since being completely upside-down will get blood to your head really quickly. Once you’re up and feeling the head rush, wait a few moments and let your vision return before you start walking or else you might trip or run into something. For more tips, like how to get light-headed by holding your breath, read on. Did this summary help you?YesNo

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