Dizziness is a widely experienced medical condition, which means different things to different people. For some people, dizziness might mean feeling lightheaded & woozy, while for others, it may resemble a sensation of movement including themselves or the world around them. Some other individuals might say that dizziness is a feeling of being imbalanced & disoriented, while yet others might be unable to describe it as anything other than plain dizziness. Some people with nausea may also experience nausea, vomiting, & headaches of varying intensities. They might also feel like they are about to faint. In this article, we provide Dizziness Causes, symptoms, and treatment.
More often than not, dizziness isn’t a condition in itself, rather always a symptom of some underlying illness. In most cases, dizziness goes away on its own. However, if it doesn’t, then there are a variety of dizziness treatments available, that includes Vertigo medicines, dizziness medicines, & dizziness exercises. For effective dizziness treatment, it is important that your doctor understands the exact cause of your dizziness, how long your dizziness has been going on, & your medical history.
Dizziness symptoms:
Patients suffering from dizziness often report experiencing a range of symptoms. These can be broadly defined as:
- A pseudo sense of spinning or moving, also known as Vertigo,
- Feeling lightheaded or feeling faint,
- A sense of unsteadiness and a loss of balance,
- A floating feeling, wooziness, & heavy-headedness
In some cases, these feelings may be worsened when the patient walks, stands up, or moves their head in certain ways. The dizziness that you experience may sometimes be so severe & debilitating that you might need to lie down or stop whatever you’re doing. Your dizziness episodes may also last for mere seconds or days, & might also recur without any warnings.
In most cases, dizziness symptoms also resemble those of Vertigo, & hence, it might be important to get a proper diagnosis from your doctor to avoid getting misdiagnosed & subsequently, mistreated.
Dizziness Causes:
There are many dizziness causes, the most prominent ones of those being inner ear issues, motion sickness, & medication effects. In some cases, dizziness may also be caused by any underlying illness such as poor circulation, infection, or injury.
More clues for your exact medical condition can be obtained by observing how you react to dizziness & any possible triggers.
Inner ear issues that can lead to dizziness are:
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV): This leads to brief spells of Vertigo, characterized by spinning, moving, or tilting sensations. These episodes are brought about by changes in the head’s position or by any sudden movements.
- Infections: a viral infection of the vestibular nerve, called Vestibular Neuritis, can cause intense bouts of short-term Vertigo & dizziness. If you experience dizziness & Vertigo along with sudden hearing loss, then you may be suffering from labyrinthitis.
- Meniere’s Disease: This is caused by excessive buildup of fluid inside your ear, leading to feelings of pressure & fullness in the ear. This disease causes sudden bouts of nausea, dizziness, & Vertigo. Patients may also experience sudden hearing loss, ringing in the ears, & a plugged ear.
- Migraines: Patients who suffer from migraines may experience bouts of Vertigo & dizziness even when they are not having a migraine attack. Vertigo & dizziness brought on by migraines may last for several hours, & may also be accompanied by light & motion sensitivity.
Aside from these primary dizziness causes, several other medical issues like a sudden drop in blood pressure, called orthostatic hypotension, can also lead to dizziness.
Poor blood circulation due to preexisting conditions such as cardiomyopathy, heart attack, heart arrhythmia, and transient ischemic attack can also lead to dizziness.
Alongside these dizziness causes, some other things that can lead to dizziness include:
- Certain neurological conditions like Parkinson’s or Multiple Sclerosis,
- Certain medications like anti-seizure drugs, antidepressants, sedatives, & tranquilizers, etc., can cause dizziness as a side effect,
- Anxiety disorders like panic attacks & agoraphobia can cause lightheadedness or a woozy feeling,
- Anemia, which causes low iron levels, can also cause dizziness,
- Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia can also lead to dizziness,
- Carbon monoxide poisoning is also a probable dizziness cause,
- Overheating & dehydration can also lead to dizziness symptoms, along with lack of sleep & lack of oxygen
Advanced age & heart problems, along with previous episodes of dizziness, are also risk factors for dizziness.
Dizziness Diagnosis
In most cases where patients visit their doctors due to dizziness, they are first asked to list their medical history. This allows the doctor to look out for any previous episodes of dizziness that could put you at a risk for further ones, along with any other medical conditions that can cause dizziness.
You will also be required to give out a full list of any medications that you’ve been taking for any chronic conditions, as certain medications can also cause dizziness as a side effect when taken for a long time.
To diagnose dizziness, your doctor may use a variety of tests. These tests include standard walking & balance tests where your doctor will check how well your vestibular system works with your brain to maintain gait & balance.
Some other tests that your doctor can recommend to you to diagnose dizziness include:
- Eye Movement Testing: These tests check for any abnormal nystagmus in your eyes while you are told to track a moving object. Certain caloric stimulation through injecting cold & hot air or water in your ears may also be done to check out how well your eyes respond to any external stimuli.
- Head movement testing: If your doctor suspects Benign paroxysmal Positional vertigo as the cause of your dizziness, they may recommend head movement testing also known as the Dix-Hallpike maneuver to effectively diagnose dizziness.
- Posturography: This test is used to determine which parts of your balance system do you use most to maintain your balance, & which parts are causing your problems.
- Rotary Chair testing: In this test, you will be made to sit in a rotating chair that completes a full circle slowly. It can also move back & forth at faster speeds in small arcs.
You may also be given blood tests to check for any infections & any other issues with circulation.
Dizziness treatment:
In most cases, dizziness often gets better without any treatment required, as the body naturally adapts to whatever is causing it. Dizziness can be treated effectively based on whatever is causing it, & your specific symptoms. If your dizziness doesn’t have a specific cause, then certain dizziness medicines & Vertigo medicines, dizziness exercises, home remedies for dizziness, & therapies might help make your condition better.
Dizziness medicines:
- Water Pills: Also known as diuretic pills, these are helpful in dizziness treatment especially if your dizziness is caused by Meniere’s Disease.
- Dizziness medicines: Certain medicines help relieve your dizziness & nausea. These include antihistamines & anticholinergics, as they often provide immediate relief from dizziness, nausea, motion sickness, & vomiting.
- Anti-Anxiety medications: Anti-anxiety medications can also help relieve dizziness, nausea, & motion sickness in patients whose dizziness stems from an underlying anxiety disorder.
Along with these dizziness medicines, preventive medicines for migraines are also helpful in relieving patients of their symptoms.
Dizziness exercises can also be helpful in treating your dizziness symptoms. These exercises include head position maneuvers like the Epley Maneuver, & balance therapies for patients with vestibular disorders, & psychotherapy for patients with anxiety disorders.
Certain home remedies for dizziness can also prove to be useful. These include:
- Drinking plenty of water & keeping yourself hydrated,
- Trying acupuncture therapy to relieve stress,
- Lying down during a dizziness episode & close your eyes,
- Reducing your alcohol & tobacco intake,
- Getting adequate amounts of sleep
In addition, certain natural supplements like Ginkgo Biloba may also help in reducing dizziness symptoms.
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