Are you feeling dizzy often? Of course, the proper advice would be to go to a doctor. Meanwhile, you can get informed on some health problems that may cause it to see if you can recognize your situation. I know how unpleasant this feeling is first-hand, and that’s why we are going to present you with 8 reasons why you can experience dizziness. It’s a common condition and appears to be the second most reported complaint at a medical visit.
First things first, let’s see the type of dizziness you experience. There is vertigo, lightheadedness, or imbalance. As it can be difficult to describe, we can refer to it as a spinning sensation, as losing balance when you walk, or as a general foggy head sensation.
Vertigo translates as a sensation of motion when you don’t move. It commonly feels like the room is spinning, and you can even feel like you’re being pulled in a certain direction. Lightheadedness can come as a floating-head sensation that is persistent. This can also give you anxiety, as you don’t know exactly what’s happening to you, and you can feel like you’re about to faint. The mentioned earlier imbalance is felt as central instability at rest, and it gives a sensation of rocking or swaying when you’re still.
 Let’s see together the main causes of dizziness.
1. A neurological condition—the most serious cause of feeling dizzy
The most serious cause would be a neurological condition such as neurodegeneration, CVA, or an unfortunate local brain tumor—a rare cause of dizziness that comes from the development of abnormal tissue compressing on the part of the brain responsible for position and motion. Of course, you need to check with a doctor.
Neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis can lead to nerves losing the ability to communicate with each other. Another example of degeneration would be Parkinson’s disease, which involves losing the dopamine needed for signal transmission in nerves. A cerebral vascular accident, commonly known as a stroke, can also be a cause of dizziness because it involves a sudden loss of blood flow in the brain.
2. Postural hypotension
A very common cause of dizziness is orthostatic hypotension. What you feel is the result of the sudden drop in blood pressure the moment you quickly sit or stand up. This condition involves a history of low blood pressure, so you should know if you’re on average here, which is 120 systolic and 80 diastolic mm Hg.
What you can do to see if you’re prone to this situation is to compare your lying blood pressure with the sitting or standing one. If you notice a difference bigger than 20 mm in systolic or diastolic, this may be the potential cause of feeling dizzy.
3. Circulatory problems
The way blood flows through the body and general cardiovascular health have a tight connection with the symptoms of dizziness. The most common cause is known as anemia, which is a decrease in red blood cell numbers. It also comes with hormonal changes and menstrual cycle dysregulation, or menopause. Other circulatory problems can be blood clots, atherosclerosis, or dehydration.
Some recent studies show that heart disease is a leading cause of dizziness. Make sure you check your health condition and blood pressure. If you currently feel dizzy, another test you can require is the cardiac stress test and an ECG to determine if this is the cause or not.
4. Depression, anxiety and stress
The real physical effects coming from psychological issues are generally neglected. Our body process is going through a lot of changes that people are not talking enough about. A panic attack or prolonged exposure to stress, unmanaged depression, and anxiety are very dangerous for our health. They can lead to irregular nervous system activity, and yes, they can be the cause of feeling dizzy.
It’s easy to overlook these causes, and this usually happens both from patients and medical staff. Proper treatment should be highly effective for your overall well-being, as the best thing to do is not ignore such conditions. The side effect can be eliminating dizziness and other symptoms, but the main change will be good mental health and getting your life back, which is bliss.
5. Cervicogenic dizziness
Another cause of dizziness can be your cervical spine, more specifically, the neck area. You may experience discomfort in this area from acute injuries or chronic problems such as degenerative disc disease. This can result in joint disruption or even affect the muscles and nerves. The dizziness is created by sending abnormal messages to the balance receptors in your brain.
Cervicogenic dizziness is associated with whiplash disorders, inflammatory arthritis, concussions, and the early-mentioned chronic neck pain. You can treat this condition with orthopedic physiotherapy.
You can check out our article about Incredible Forest Bathing Benefits to Boost Your Health, as this can help with pain relief.
If you have trouble sleeping because of constant neck pain, you can try an orthopedic pillow. You can order this one via Amazon. It also has cooling properties for the night, and not only that, it’s going to improve your sleep, but in time, it can help with correcting your posture, and reducing pain along with the dizzy sensation.
6. Migraines
Severe headaches and even sensitivity to light or sounds? This condition is associated with unusual blood flow activity and improper nerve activity, affecting especially the head and brain areas. Most of the people suffering from migraines also include dizziness in their attack stories.
Being dizzy is clearly related to migraines, but this can be a more specific diagnosis known as vestibular migraine, which is associated with vertigo. What can be helpful here is vestibular rehabilitation with proper treatment involving medication and the general avoidance of migraine triggers.
On the same note, you should read our article Migraines Might Lead to IBD, According to A Recent Study
7. Medication
Medication can also be a source of dizziness. Of course, it can help you, but essentially, it introduces chemicals into our bodies. So, while they still have life-saving benefits, especially if you have serious conditions, they can produce dizziness due to some effects on the brain, hormones, and circulation.
Some examples of medications that can cause dizziness are:
- Aspirin and diuretics can cause temporary dizziness that will go away when you stop taking them.
- Aminoglycoside antibiotics: their ototoxic effect creates imbalance and dizziness due to their reaction on the balance receptor situated around the ear area (e.g., streptomycin, gentamicin).
- Anti-cancer drugs can cause permanent dizziness.
If you experience dizziness and suspect it can come from medication, you should talk to your provider about altering dosages. Also, try to get vestibular rehabilitation from a qualified therapist.
8. Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a drop in blood sugar levels. Yes, it can produce dizziness symptoms, and this condition can be either a little concern if it’s temporary or a serious health problem if it’s maintained long-term.
Temporary hypoglycemia comes from drinking alcohol excessively for some days, or exercising too much with no hydration and proper nutrition, while serious hypoglycemia can be caused by liver disease marked by an elevation in liver enzymes in your blood or kidney failure that results in a loss of oxygen in the brain.
If you found our article useful, check this one too: Timing Is Hydration: Here Are the 7 Best Times to Drink Water
