By Leandrae T. Lapinig
From time to time, we experience dizziness, that range of sensations like feeling faint, woozy, weak, or unsteady. Among adults, dizziness is one of the more common reasons why they visit their doctors.
“Many parts of your body – including your eyes, brain, inner ear, and nerves in your feet and spine – work together to keep you balanced,” explains the website, wedMD.com. “When a part of that system is off, you can feel dizzy.”
People experiencing dizziness may describe it as any of a number of sensations, including: a false sense of motion or spinning, lightheadedness or feeling faint, unsteadiness or a loss of balance, and a feeling of floating, wooziness or heavy-headedness.
“These feelings may be triggered or worsened by walking, standing up or moving your head,” the Mayo Clinic says. “Your dizziness may be accompanied by nausea or be so sudden or severe that you need to sit or lie down. The episode may last seconds or days and may recur.”
Although frequent dizzy spells or constant dizziness significantly affect our lives, they usually are not dangerous, according to Dr. Willie T. Ong, one of the country’s most-read health columnists and medical author.
Possible reasons
In fact, there are many reasons to be dizzy, Dr. Ong states. In one of his columns, he lists the following common causes of dizziness:
Eye problems: If your eyes are blurred, you may feel dizzy reading. If you use the computer often, you may also feel dizzy. You must rest your eyes and look far too relaxed. If you’re using eyeglasses, change the grades of the mirror.
Ear problems: Ear ache is another common cause for dizziness. The vestibular system is in our ears where we feel balance and motion. If there is dirt or an infection in the ear, this can cause dizziness. This kind of dizziness can last about a month before it subsides.
Blood pressure: If you have blood pressure, you can get dizzy and hurt your nape. If you are low blood, anemic and pale, you can also get dizzy. Your blood pressure should be between 140/90 maximum and 90/60 minimum.
Nerves: Nervous people often get dizzy, too. When nervous, scared or witnessed an awful thing, they can get dizzy. It’s called a panic attack or nerves. To counter this, they need to relax and take medication which can be prescribed by a doctor.
Lack of oxygen: Sometimes, someone gets dizzy or fainted in a crowded place like a church or a rally. Extreme heat can compound the problem. The problem can be solved by resting and getting fresh air.
Serious medical conditions
But there are other causes that need medical attention. If you feel like you’re spinning or the room is moving around you, then you are experiencing the classic sign of a particular type of dizziness called vertigo. It’s more than feeling off-kilter and usually gets worse when you move your head.
“The most common causes of vertigo are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease, and acute onset vertigo,” writes Healthline’s Lydia Krause. “Treatment depends on the cause. Popular treatments include certain physical maneuvers and, if necessary, special medications called vestibular blocking agents.”
BPPV is vertigo brought on by specific changes in the position of your head. It’s caused by calcium crystals floating in the semi-circular canals of the ear. Meniere’s disease is an inner ear disorder that affects balance and hearing.
As Meniere’s disease brings on intense periods of vertigo, it needs special mention. “You may feel fullness or pressure in one ear,” webMD.com says. “Other symptoms include ringing in your ears, hearing loss, nausea, and anxiety. You may feel exhausted after the attack passes.”
Dizziness may also be caused by inflammation of the nerves in your ears; medical science calls it vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis. It is caused by an infection, usually a virus. But bacteria from a middle ear infection or meningitis can make their way into your inner ear as well.
“In this case, dizziness usually comes on suddenly,” webMD.com says. “Your ears may ring, and it may be hard to hear. You also may be nauseated and have a fever and ear pain. Symptoms can last several weeks.”
The medicines you take may also be the culprit. “Several drugs list dizziness as a possible side effect,” webMD.com reminds. Check with your doctor if you take: antibiotics (including gentamicin and streptomycin), anti-depressants, anti-seizure medications, blood pressure medicines, and sedatives.
Or, you may have low blood sugar or hypoglycemia in medical parlance. “People with diabetes need to check the amount of sugar (glucose) in their blood often,” webMD.com suggests. “You can get dizzy if it drops too low. That also can cause hunger, shakiness, sweating, and confusion. Some people without diabetes also have trouble with low blood sugar, but that’s rare.”
Dizziness can also be a sign of many other illnesses, including migraines (even if you don’t feel pain), stress or anxiety, nervous-system problems like peripheral neuropathy and multiple sclerosis, and tumors in the brain or inner ear.
When to see a doctor
The Mayo Clinic urges to see your doctor if you experience any recurrent, sudden, severe or prolonged and unexplained dizziness or vertigo.
If dizziness comes on suddenly and is accompanied by chest pains, a rapid heartbeat, blurred vision or numbness, see a doctor immediately, advises Dr. Michael Weintraub, clinical professor of neurology at New York Medical College. “This kind of dizziness could signal a heart attack or stroke,” he says.
Also, get emergency medical care if you experience new, severe dizziness or vertigo along with any of the following: sudden, severe headache, difficulty breathing, fainting, confusion or slurred speech, stumbling or difficulty walking, ongoing vomiting, seizures, a sudden change in hearing, and facial numbness or weakness.
Home remedies
“If you experience occasional dizzy spells and your doctor has ruled out a serious medical condition,” says The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II, “there are some tactics that can’t do any harm and may help you stop the merry-go-round.” These are:
Focus on a fixed point. If you suddenly feel dizzy, stand still and focus on something stationary, such as a window frame. Focusing on a fixed point across the room gives your brain more visual information about balance and helps the dizziness pass quickly. If you have a dizzy spell when traveling in a car or on a boat, focus on the distant scenery or the horizon.
Rise slowly. Many people dizzy when they get out of bed too suddenly. Getting up too quickly results in a temporary drop in blood pressure and a decrease in the blood flow to the brain.The solution is simple. Don’t get out of bed. Instead, sit on the edge of the bed for a minute to normalize blood pressure, then slowly stand.
Drink water every now and then. When you perspire excessively in hot weather or during exercise, your blood pressure may drop, and you lose important minerals. So, try to drink at least 8 to 12 glasses of water on hot days. If you’re exercising, drink water before and after exercise as well.
Breathe slowly and steadily. If you sometimes hold your breath or hyperventilate (breathe too rapidly) when you’re stressed or exercising, your body expels more carbon dioxide than usual. The result: dizziness. To slow down your breathing, concentrate on pushing your belly out when you inhale and pulling it in as you exhale. And while you’re doing that, keep your shoulders still. With slower, deeper breathing, the carbon dioxide balance is restored, and dizziness disappears.
Take a second look at medications. Dizziness can be an uncomfortable side effect of many common drugs, including antihistamines and blood pressure medications. But be sure to ask your doctor before you change your dosage of prescription medications.
Avoid drinking alcohol, diet drinks, those that contain caffeine. Caffeine and alcohol can cause problems for dizziness-prone people. For some people, consuming foods made with aspartame inhibits the uptake of substances that affect the central nervous system as well as the balance center. So, check labels before you buy.
Nix salty nuts and sweet treats. Both salty and sugary foods – including soft drinks and cakes – change the consumption of inner ear fluid and can produce dizziness in susceptible people. – ###
