If you experience dizziness, you might be unsure of the cause, and the sensation can be disconcerting or even alarming when there is no clear reason. There are many reasons a person can feel dizzy, and some of them are more serious health concerns than others. In fact, dizziness itself is a broad term used to describe several different actual physical effects. Three common conditions that result in a dizzy feeling include vertigo, lightheadedness and disequilibrium.
Vertigo
Vertigo is a word used to express the feeling of being in motion when you are actually still. This can describe a sensation that the room appears to be spinning when it isn’t or that you are spinning when you aren’t. This is the feeling sought by children when they spin in circles for a period of time and then stop, giggling and falling to the floor -- or when you exit a particularly “spinny” amusement park ride. However, when it is experienced with no warning or obvious reason, it can be unpleasant and frightening. Vertigo is associated with issues in the vestibular system of the inner ear. This system handles a person’s balance.
Vertigo can cause nausea and vomiting in extreme cases and may result in balance issues such as staggering when walking or falling down unexpectedly. Some likely causes of vertigo include the following.
- Inner ear inflammation: The medical term for this ailment is acute vestibular neuritis, and it can cause symptoms like vertigo and nausea and can become so severe the patient is restricted to bed. The condition can be accompanied by hearing loss in some cases. This is a condition that is easily treatable and symptoms often subside rather quickly with proper medical care.
- Vestibular migraine: Some headache sufferers also experience periods of vertigo, even when they do not have a headache. These episodes can last for hours or even days.
- Meniere’s disease: This condition includes feelings of “stuffiness” in the ear accompanied by occasional hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. It is caused by a buildup of fluid in the inner ear.
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): The most common cause of vertigo, BPPV affects the balance associated with the position of the head. A quick change in head position or sitting or standing up very quickly can bring on episodes of BPPV. As the name suggests, this is a benign condition that does not pose serious health risks unless the sufferer is injured in a vertigo-related fall.
- Acoustic neuroma: This is another benign condition that involves a noncancerous growth that occurs on the vestibular nerve (the nerve that connects the brain and the inner ear). Tinnitus and progressive hearing loss can be symptoms of acoustic neuroma.
- Additional considerations: While the above-listed causes are most commonly the reason for episodes of vertigo, it is possible that the dizzy sensation you experience could be a sign of more serious health issues. In rare cases, vertigo can signal stroke, multiple sclerosis or a brain hemorrhage. If one of these more severe conditions is present, there typically will be other symptoms involved, such as slurry speech, numbness in the face or extremities or vision problems.
Another form of dizziness if lightheadedness. This is the feeling that you may lose consciousness or faint. Lightheadedness is the result of a lack of blood flow to the brain. Some common causes of lightheadedness are described in the list below.
- Sudden changes in head elevation: When a person stands up too quickly blood may rush away from the head rapidly enough to cause lightheadedness. This is more common in older people or people with other health issues.
- Blood pressure drop: When your blood pressure drops quickly, you may feel lightheaded as a result.
- Dehydration: Extreme water deprivation caused by heat exhaustion, fever, vomiting or other causes can cause lightheadedness.
- Low blood sugar: Sometimes if you experience low blood sugar, you may experience a lightheaded feeling.
- Cold or flu: Illnesses can cause various symptoms. It is common for people suffering from a cold or flu to feel lightheaded while they are sick.
- Additional considerations: While the causes listed above are most common, lightheadedness can be a sign of more serious health problems such as shock, internal bleeding or heart problems. Additional symptoms likely will accompany any severe health concern, including vision problems, chest pain or speech issues.
A feeling of unsteadiness when walking or overall loss of balance can be attributed to disequilibrium, a form of dizziness. Common causes of disequilibrium include:
- Sensory problems: Individuals with nerve damage or failing vision can experience disequilibrium when walking, especially in poorly lit areas.
- Osteoarthritis: Muscular disorders or weakness can experience a feeling of loss of balance.
- Medication: Tranquilizers, seizure medication or certain sedatives can cause or contribute to the feeling of disequilibrium in some users.
- Neurological disorders: People suffering from neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease can battle ongoing disequilibrium.
- Inner ear problems: As with vertigo, disequilibrium is a common side effect of inner ear infections or other issues.
If you’ve been feeling dizzy and aren’t sure of the cause, contact your health care provider. It is possible that you are experiencing a normal reaction to a medication or temporary ailment that poses no serious health threat. It is also possible that your dizziness is the signal of a more serious issue that requires medical intervention.