Dizziness: What are the common causes?

Dizziness is alternatively referred to as giddiness and is best described as the feeling of unsteadiness, lightheadedness, and exhaustion. Given today’s fast-paced lifestyle and other sedentary choices, the feeling of excessive stress and fatigue is quite common. Thus, many times, dizziness is ignored. While moderate symptoms of dizziness may go away with proper rest, acute symptoms may lead to other health hazards and should not be ignored.

It is always wise to watch out for the tell-tale symptoms of dizziness to ensure on-time treatment or prevention.

Dizziness is often accompanied by a false sense of spinning, the individuals experiencing it may feel as if their entire surrounding is spinning.
A sensation of lightheadedness and fainting
Lack of balance while walking
A feeling of floating or swimming

Here are some of the key reasons for dizziness.

Motion sickness
Excess physical exertion
Dehydration
Infection in the inner and middle ear
Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar
Anxiety
Heart muscle disease
Hypotension or low blood pressure

Some of the medical conditions that may trigger dizziness are:

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:

Chronic fatigue syndrome can also be referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis. Fatigue is the primary symptom of dizziness. Often, after a session of exercise, the intensity of symptoms tends to worsen.

CFS is accompanied by secondary symptoms such as sleep problems, joint/muscle pain, a fast or irregular heartbeat, and rarely sore throat. Some of the individuals might experience mild to severe headaches, difficulty in thinking, concentrating and memory-related issues.

Meniere’s Disease:

Individuals with Meniere’s disease are identified with excessive fluid in their inner ears. It may lead to the ringing sensation in one or both ears followed by intense pain and prolonged bouts of vertigo. Some of the recommended treatment options for Meniere’s disease are low-salt diet and medication to keep the dizziness symptoms under check. Some of the other symptoms associated with Meniere’s disease include hearing loss, acute anxiety, and nausea.

Vertigo:

Vertigo is a type of dizziness where an individual may feel a spinning sensation. It is often an indicator of issues with the inner ear or brain stem responsible for governing the body’s balance mechanism. Vertigo is a major cause of dizziness for which medical attention must be sought after.

Infection:

Certain bacteria and viruses may cause inflammation in the ear leading to conditions such as vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis, and meningitis, a middle ear infection. Such infections may lead to bouts of dizziness and they are mostly instantaneous. The individual may experience a ringing sensation in the ear followed by pain in ear, nausea, and fever at times. These symptoms may last for a prolonged period of time, say for a couple of weeks.

Hypoglycemia:

If the bout of dizziness has particular symptoms of hunger, shakiness, excessive sweating, and confusion, it can be attributed to a sudden drop in blood glucose level, otherwise known as hypoglycemia. Drinking an adequate volume of sugar-rich fluids can reduce the symptoms of dizziness in hypoglycemic individuals.

Apart from the above key causes, acute stress or anxiety, migraines, tumor in the brain or inner ear, and conditions such as peripheral neuropathy and multiple sclerosis may also cause dizziness.