Dizziness or lightheadedness makes an individual feel as if he are about to faint. It is accompanied by unsteadiness, imbalance, or a feeling that the person or the room is spinning or vertigo. The individual may also feel as if he is floating or his head may feel heavy. Dizziness may resolve without treatment but it is easily treatable. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several common causes of dizziness or lightheadedness.
Inner Ear Inflammation
The Mayo Clinic reports that inflammation in the inner ear may cause dizziness that lasts for a few days. Loss of balance and the need to vomit may accompany the dizziness. This condition is called acute vestibular neuritis. Meniere's disease, or the accumulation of fluid in the inner ear, can also cause feelings of dizziness. Abnormalities in the inner ear can make an individual experience unsteadiness and imbalance. A non-cancerous growth on the nerve that links the inner ear with the brain can also cause dizziness or loss of balance. This condition is called acoustic neuroma.
Blood Pressure Reduction
A sudden decrease in systolic blood pressure can cause faintness in an individual, reports the Mayo Clinic. It usually happens when an individual stands up or sits up too quickly. A normal blood pressure reading is 120/80, with 120 representing the systolic reading, while 80 is the diastolic reading.
Arrhythmia
The Mayo Clinic states that arrhythmia is another condition in which an individual may experience faintness. With arrhythmia, the heart beats abnormally, causing insufficient blood to flow from the individual's heart, which in turn, may cause the feeling of faintness. Other heart conditions such as cardiomyopathy can also lead to an inadequate supply of blood from the heart, causing the individual to feel faint.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is another condition that can cause vertigo in an individual. This condition usually occurs when the individual changes the position of the head, while turning over in bed or sitting up in the morning. This is the most common cause of vertigo, reports the Mayo Clinic.
Other Causes
There are other causes of dizziness or lightheadedness. People with migraines can experience migrainous vertigo episodes with their migraines and experience other types of dizziness between headaches. Stroke, bleeding in the brain and multiple sclerosis are some neurological problems that can cause vertigo. An individual may experience loss of balance resulting from the use of anti-seizure drugs, sedatives and other medications.
