Causes Of Dizziness
You will experience dizziness when you feel woozy, lightheaded, or like you are losing your balance. Dizziness can affect all sensory organs, mainly the eyes and ears. While it is not a disease per se, it is a condition that can be the outcome of many types of diseases and disorders. For instance, disequilibrium and vertigo can trigger dizziness but these two have distinct symptoms. While the first means loss of balance, the second indicates a spinning feeling.
The most common causes of dizziness and giddiness can be as follows:
- Dizziness can be due to vertigo and this is usually benign positional vertigo or BPV that leads to short-term giddiness whenever an individual changes his body position suddenly, such as, standing up quickly after lying down.
- Dizziness could be caused by Meniere’s disease that happens when there is a fluid build-up in your ear associated with symptoms like hearing loss, ear fullness, anxiety, nausea, and tinnitus. In this case, the periods of vertigo can be extensive.
- When your ear nerves are inflamed it may cause vertigo; this is referred to as labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis and is triggered by an infection. However, bacteria from meningitis or middle ear infections can also penetrate the inner ear. Here, the dizziness is sudden usually like ringing in the ears and the person may find it hard to hear. This may be accompanied by fever, ear pain, and nausea.
- Those who experience migraines are likely to experience vertigo and other kinds of dizziness. These vertigo episodes usually last for a few minutes to an hour, and these may be accompanied by headaches, noise and light sensitivity.
- Dizziness may be brought on by a sudden drop in BP levels
- Anxiety disorders
- Anemia
- Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar levels, especially in people with diabetes. They must monitor their blood glucose levels, because if this falls too low, they may experience dizziness. This is often accompanied by hunger, sweating, shakiness, and confusion.
- Heart muscle disorders
- Dehydration
- Heat stroke
- Motion sickness
- Excessive and strenuous workouts
- Circulation problems when the heart fails to pump enough blood to the brain. Blood flow to your brain may be affected because of clogged arteries, blood clots, irregular heartbeats, and heart failure. So, people with these conditions must get medical help immediately if they faint or feel dizzy.
- Side-effects caused by antibiotic medications such as streptomycin or gentamycin, antidepressants, BP medicines, sedatives
- Neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis
Symptoms Of Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- False spinning sensation
- Unsteadiness
- A feeling of swimming or floating
- Loss of balance
You should ask for immediate medical help when you experience vertigo or dizziness with these following symptoms:
- Sudden headache
- Fainting
- Chest pain
- Double vision
- Irregular heartbeat
- Difficulty walking or stumbling
- Slurred speech or confusion
- Seizures
- Continuous vomiting
- Sudden change in your hearing
- Facial numbness
Tips To Manage Dizziness
To manage dizziness or treat the condition, you have to first understand what causes it. Usually, medications and home remedies work best in managing dizziness.
- Inner ear problems can be handled with proper medicines as well as exercises to improve balance
- Surgery can be done for patients who are unable to manage their BPV with medications.
- For those with Meniere’s disease, a healthy and low-salt diet plan, ear surgery, or injections may work best.
- Anxiety-reducing techniques and medications help when you have anxiety disorders.
- Migraines need medicines and certain lifestyle changes, like knowing what the triggers are and how to avoid these.
- You can use a walker or cane if needed.
- You must sit down right away when you experience dizziness; this will ensure you do not fall down on losing balance.
- You should practice yoga and Tai Chi that will improve your balance
- You can use handrails while climbing up and down the staircase.
- You must remember not to change body posture suddenly.
- It is advisable to avoid tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine as these works like triggers. Instead, you should drink lots of water and try and get more sleep.
- You need to avoid lifting heavy objects when you feel dizzy frequently.
- Your diet should contain more fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins that can prevent dizziness.
- When you think a medicine is causing dizziness you must consult your doctor and consider either changing it or lowering the dosage. You may choose an antihistamine or any OTC drug to tackle nausea.
- When you feel that dehydration or overheating has triggered dizziness, you must rest for a while in a cool environment.
Most dizziness instances are not dangerous and the symptoms disappear by themselves when you have identified the possible causes for it. It is very rare that dizziness will indicate a serious health issue.
