Causes

Problems with your ears, certain medications, and medical conditions can cause dizziness. Upper respiratory allergies affecting your ears and motion sickness may also cause dizziness.

Types of Dizziness

Light-headedness

When you are light-headed, you may feel woozy or as if you are going to pass out. Some people feel light-headed for a moment when they get up from a sitting or lying position too quickly. This dizziness, called postural or orthostatic hypotension, is caused by a drop in blood pressure to the brain when you change position. It usually passes very quickly. You can take steps to avoid it. Before you get up, sit on the edge of the bed or chair to get your bearings. As you stand up, tighten your leg muscles. This causes more of your blood to flow toward your brain.

Other possible causes of feeling light-headed include blood pressure and heart problems or anxiety. If you are taking medications for high blood pressure and feel light-headed, tell your doctor.

Balance Problems

When you have balance problems, you may not be able to walk straight. Your feet may feel unsteady, and you may feel like you are going to fall. The risk of injury makes balance problems dangerous.

Poor balance is often related to aging of the inner ear, decreased sensation in the nerves of the leg and foot joints, arthritis, and poor vision. We are able to keep our balance using input from our ears, eyes, and nerves of the joints (especially the leg joints). The brain sorts out this information and enables us to walk straight without falling.

If you have poor balance and your feet feel unsteady, call your doctor. To keep yourself from falling, leave a light on at night and use a cane or walking stick.

Vertigo

Vertigo makes you feel as if objects around you are spinning or moving. It may also cause nausea, vomiting, or blurry vision.

Vertigo is usually temporary and not life threatening. It can have many causes, including labyrinthitis, benign positional vertigo, and Meniere’s disease.

Labyrinthitis 

Labyrinthitis is an inflammation of the inner ear. It may be caused by a virus and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and involuntary movements of the eyes. A person may have these symptoms suddenly during the day or may wake up with them.

Labyrinthitis causes a severe spinning sensation that lasts for several days, usually goes away on its own, and may never return. It usually takes up to several months to disappear. During this time, some people experience a spinning sensation while moving their head in a specific direction or holding it in certain positions. This is called benign positional vertigo.

Over-the-counter medicines can reduce dizziness. They are most helpful during the first week, when vertigo is most severe. If used for long periods, these medicines may get in the way of recovery and make you drowsy. Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine for your dizziness.

Benign Positional Vertigo 

Benign positional vertigo, usually caused by problems in the inner ear, is the most common cause of dizziness in adults. It occurs when a person is looking up or down or side to side or is rolling over in bed. The spinning sensation usually lasts less than a minute. It can occur anywhere from once a day to every time a person moves his or her head. Benign positional vertigo may follow labyrinthitis, or it can appear alone. It usually goes away on its own in about 4 months. If you have severe spinning sensations, talk to your doctor.

Meniere’s Disease 

Meniere’s disease is a common condition that can affect adults of all ages. It causes recurring episodes of vertigo with fluctuating hearing loss and pressure, fullness, or noise usually in one ear. It may occur with nausea and vomiting. Symptoms usually last for several hours. Episodes can occur as often as every day or as infrequently as every 10 years. Between episodes, most people with Meniere’s disease feel normal. If you have dizziness with hearing loss, see your doctor.

Fainting

Dizziness and fainting can be related. People who faint lose consciousness or pass out. Fainting occurs when blood pressure is low and not enough blood can get to the brain. It may be a sign of problems with the heart or blood pressure, or it may simply be a reaction to a stressful event. Some people faint at the sight of blood. No matter what the cause, fainting can be dangerous, because it increases your risk of injury from falling. Fainting is not usually related to vertigo, an imbalance caused by problems of the inner ear. Fainting is common in older adults. Up to 12 percent of people over age 85 faint. If you have fainted, call your doctor.

First Aid

• Take your time getting up if you have dizzy spells when you rise quickly from sitting or lying positions.
• When an episode of dizziness or vertigo strikes, slowly move to a sitting or reclining position. You’ll be less likely to fall and injure yourself. If
  you feel faint or if your vision begins to go dark, sit with your head between your knees.
• Drink more fluids to avoid dehydration and help maintain your blood pressure.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smoking.
• Avoid driving.
• Use relaxation techniques to combat anxiety. Breathe deeply and slowly.
• If you feel an episode of vertigo coming on, keeping your eyes open and focused on a stationary object may lessen the symptoms.
• If others in your household also have dizziness, headache, or nausea and vomiting, it may be carbon monoxide poisoning. Get out of the house, call your gas company, and go to the hospital.