How to Help a Parent Get Out of Bed Safely at Night

By Sarah, AI staff writer · Updated November 3, 2026

Getting out of bed is one of the riskiest moments of a parent’s day. They’re groggy, the room is dark, and blood pressure can dip on the way up. The fix is mostly routine and a few small changes, not a big purchase.

Here’s the short answer, from the CDC’s STEADI fall prevention materials and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):

Get up in three steps: sit up, sit on the side of the bed, then stand. The CDC says to take it slowly.
Light the path: a lamp within reach of the bed and a night light on the way to the bathroom.
Give them something to hold: a sturdy surface or a bed rail that meets the 2023 safety standard, fitted with no gaps.
Tell the doctor about dizziness: feeling light-headed on standing can be a blood pressure drop, and some medicines make it worse.

Why is getting up so risky?

Because blood pressure can drop when a person changes position. The CDC calls it postural, or orthostatic, hypotension: a drop in blood pressure when you go from lying down to sitting up, or from sitting to standing.

When it happens, a parent may feel dizzy or light-headed for a few seconds, exactly when they’re taking their first steps. Add a dark room and a slipper on a rug, and that’s how a night trip to the bathroom becomes a fall. The CDC’s caregiver brochure notes that most falls happen at home.

What’s the safest way to get out of bed?

Slowly, in stages. The CDC’s postural hypotension brochure puts it simply: get out of bed slowly. First sit up, sit on the side of the bed, then stand up.

The CDC’s other tips from the same brochure:

Warm up first. Before getting up, move the feet up and down and clench and unclench the hands a few times.
Pause at each stage. Take your time when changing position.
Hold on. Have something to hold when standing up.
Don’t walk while dizzy. If the room swims, sit back down and wait.
Raise the head. The CDC suggests sleeping with extra pillows to raise the head.

Write the steps on a card by the bed. It sounds small, but a routine is easier to follow half asleep.

How should the bedroom be set up?

So your parent can see, reach and hold on without stretching. The CDC’s home safety checklist asks two bedroom questions: is the light near the bed hard to reach, and is the path from the bed to the bathroom dark?

Its fixes:

Place a lamp close to the bed where it’s easy to reach.
Put in a night light so your parent can see where they’re walking. Some night lights turn on by themselves after dark.

Then walk the route yourself at night. Look for throw rugs, cords and furniture in the way. The CDC’s caregiver brochure suggests removing small throw rugs, or using double-sided tape so they don’t slip, and making sure the home has plenty of light.

Does a bed rail help?

It can, if it’s the right one and fitted with no gaps. A bed rail or assist handle gives your parent something solid to push on when sitting up and standing.

The risk is entrapment. The CPSC says 90% of injuries tied to adult portable bed rails come from entrapment of the head, chest or neck. Its safety rules include:

buy a rail that meets the mandatory standard for rails made after August 21, 2023, and check it isn’t recalled
press it firmly against the mattress and secure the strap
leave at least 12.5 inches between the rail and the headboard or footboard
watch closely if your parent has memory problems

We compare three rails in our bed rail guide.

Is the bed the right height?

If your parent’s feet don’t rest flat on the floor when they sit on the edge, or their knees sit well above their hips, getting up takes more effort and more balance.

We didn’t find a single height rule from the CDC or CPSC, so ask your parent’s doctor or an occupational therapist to check it during a home visit. Bed risers raise a bed. A lower frame or a thinner mattress lowers it.

When should you call the doctor?

Soon, if your parent feels dizzy when they stand, has fallen getting up, or has started a new medicine. Call 911 if they fall and are hurt, hit their head or can’t get up.

Call your parent’s doctor if they:

feel dizzy or light-headed when they sit up or stand.

have fallen, or nearly fallen, getting out of bed.

started a new medicine and feel dizzy or sleepy.

The CDC’s caregiver brochure says to tell a healthcare provider right away if your parent has fallen, is worried about falling or seems unsteady, and to keep an up-to-date list of their medicines.

What’s the simplest place to start tonight?

A lamp they can reach and a night light to the bathroom. Both take minutes and cost little.

Then teach the three-step routine: sit up, sit on the edge, stand. Add a bed rail only after you’ve checked the fit and the recall list. And bring up any dizziness at your parent’s next appointment, because the cause might be something the doctor can change.

Common questions

Why does my parent feel dizzy when they stand up?

It may be postural hypotension, a drop in blood pressure when going from lying to sitting or sitting to standing, as the CDC describes it. Some medicines can add to it. Tell their doctor, and have them get up slowly in stages.

What's the safest way for an older person to get out of bed?

The CDC says to get out of bed slowly: first sit up, then sit on the side of the bed, then stand. Move the feet and hands first, have something to hold, and sit back down if dizzy.

Where should night lights go?

Along the path from the bed to the bathroom, so your parent can see where they're walking, as the CDC's home safety checklist advises. Some night lights turn on by themselves after dark. Keep a lamp within easy reach of the bed too.

Should I add a bed rail?

Only one that meets the 2023 CPSC standard, fitted firmly with at least 12.5 inches to the headboard. The CPSC says 90% of bed rail injuries come from entrapment. Ask the doctor first if your parent is confused at night.

Sources

How we wrote this: researched and drafted with the help of AI, then reviewed and edited by a person before publishing. How we write.