Dizziness is a condition when you feel like your head or your surrounding keeps spinning in circles. It can be called vertigo as well. There are numerous reasons why one could feel dizzy and most of the times, it doesn’t mean anything serious. People felt this kind of sensation when they are over exhausted, if they have low sugar levels in their blood or if they stand up straight all of a sudden. Because of the possibility that this kind of an event can indicate a more severe condition such as a brain damage, inner ear infection, it is important to investigate the underlying reason and to consult your doctor if it gets worse.
If you thought that the stress is just a psychological matter, you thought wrong. A stress can result in a physical problem if it prolongs and causes the body to react to this kind of a condition. When you are stressed out, you tend to breathe shallow, your heart rate increases, and your body is struggling to overcome it. As a result, your heart strives to pump all the blood into the system, which further decreases the duration of dilation. This is the process when your heart gets filled with blood and heart muscles get its nutrients. If you breathe shallow and rapidly, you further enhance the struggle. Your lungs don’t have time to oxidize the blood and your heart doesn’t have time to send all the blood to the bloodstream. This causes the loss of nutrients in the brain, which results in dizziness and even a loss of consciousness.
When you dehydrate, you lose the fluid within your system. This can result in fluid accumulation in vital organs and dry, cold skin. If you change your position quickly, it can cause a drop of fluid in your lower parts of the body, leaving the brain for a second without the blood. This lack of fluid can make you dizzy and make your vision fuzzy. This is normal and it will subside after a few seconds. The key is to drink enough fluid to keep your body pumping.
It is a postural hypotension which is a condition that happens after you stand up from lying down or sitting. It usually lasts a few seconds, but you may feel dizzy or even faint. When you stand up, your blood rushes into your lower extremities as a result of a gravity. When this happens, the receptors inside your neck respond to a drop in pressure and ensure that the heart responds to this event in a way that it pumps more blood and causing vasoconstriction to stop the loss of the blood from the brain. The function of baroreceptors can be disrupted due to many conditions such as dehydration, valve problems, bradycardia, hormonal problems, nervous system diseases and postprandial hypotension which happen after an abundant meal when all of the blood goes into the stomach. If this ever happened to you, try to stand up slower and take a few deep breaths. You will feel better.
Benign Positional Vertigo (BPV)
It is one of the vertigo conditions caused by inner ear disorders. It is a short episode of dizziness which happens when you change your position. You can feel like a room is spinning and feel slight vertigo. There is no specific cause, but there are some inner ear reasons for it. There is an organ in your inner ear called vestibular labyrinth including otolith organs which participate in balance and movement. It is not a condition to be concerned about, but if it makes you worried and uncomfortable, you can check up with your doctors for some additional therapy.
When the vessels in your inner ear suddenly go narrow, it can cause loss of hearing, tinnitus or ringing in the ear and vertigo. It usually happens in one ear and it is considered a chronical condition. The exact reason for this condition isn’t confirmed yet, but there are some things that can trigger this event such as a fluid build up, blockage of inner ear drainage, allergies, head trauma, etc. It is treated with some motion sickness medications such as meclizine or valium, and anti-nausea drugs like promethazine.
There are several types of anemia, but they all come to the same root problem – they lack the hemoglobin function in oxygen transportation. It can be due to iron deficiency, folic acid, B12 vitamin or other hemolytic issues. If this happens, you can feel dizziness as a sign that your brain is not getting enough oxygen. This usually happens in excessive physical activity or stress, when your body needs more than when it’s resting.
Low Sugar Levels
If you ever skipped a meal before and felt dizziness and weakness, it can be due to low sugar levels. Your brain needs glucose in order to function right. When it lacks the necessary nutrients, you can feel dizzy when bending over or you can feel your hands shaking. You should never skip meals and you should give your body the necessary ingredients to work properly.
Drug Side Effects
There are numerous medications that can have dizziness and vertigo as a side effect. This can be some prescription or even over-the-counter drugs. It is more common to happen when you take a higher dosage than you should, but it can happen on other occasions as well. Some drugs that can cause this kind of side effects can be sedatives, antihistamines, drugs for blood pressure, anxiety and others. If you feel dizzy when taking your medication, you should consult with your doctor before changing the dosage or changing the drug for adequate therapy.
First Aid When Feeling Dizzy
- If you sense a loss of balance or blurry vision when you suddenly get up, try to get up slowly. Sit on the edge of the bed and stand up with holding the chair or something for support. Breathe deeply and wait a few minutes to go away.
- If you feel like you are dehydrated, drink a few cups of water and see if the dizziness If it doesn’t, consult with your doctor if there is no obvious reason for vertigo.
- If you feel like your blood pressure is low, measure the blood pressure and see if you have some cardiovascular issues. Talk to your doctor about proper therapy prescription.
- If you have been feeling stressed out and close to anxiety, try to calm yourself and breath deeply. Concentrate on your breathing and keep it slow, which will slow down the heart rate and you will feel relaxed.
When To Seek For Medical Attention?
- If you’ve had head injury
- If you’ve been having some kind of seizures
- If you feel pressure and ringing in your ears accompanied with vomiting
- If you suddenly faint
- If you have high fever
- If you have some problems hearing, seeing or speaking
- If you feel off balance and you have trouble walking.