Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives. Anxiety, often described as feelings of worry, nervousness, apprehension or fear, occur as a normal response to stress. Although anxiety begins as a psychological or emotional response, the cascade of reactions within the body produces physical effects. One physical effect of anxiety, dizziness, can interfere with daily activities and lead a patient to seek medical treatment.
What is Dizziness?
Dizziness is a term used to describe many different feelings and can be classified into two categories; vertiginous and nonvertiginous. Vertiginous dizziness, also known as vertigo, describes a sensation of spinning. Patients with vertigo often also experience nausea and vomiting. Nonvertiginous dizziness describes all other types of dizziness, and patients with nonvertiginous dizziness usually have a harder time pinpointing and describing their symptoms. Lightheadedness, one type of dizziness, causes a person to feel faint and can lead to syncope—a loss of consciousness. Patients who feel unsteady or unbalanced describe it as feeling dizzy.
Causes of Dizziness
Many different conditions can cause dizziness. In fact, dizziness leads to approximately eight million visits to the doctor per year, according to Pennsylvania Neurological Associates. Vertiginous dizziness is usually the result of a disruption in the balance mechanism in the inner ear. Dizziness and lightheadedness can be caused by a change in blood pressure, a drop in blood sugar or a decrease in blood flow to the brain, according to MedLine Plus.
Internal Response to Anxiety
Feelings of anxiety trigger a chemical response within the body known as the fight-or-flight response. Although this response is helpful in dealing with a temporary situation of stress, it can be harmful when it becomes chronic. Anxiety triggers the sympathetic nerves to release increased levels of acetylcholine, which triggers the adrenal glands to produce and release more adrenaline and norepinephrine. The increase in these hormones increases the heart rate and breathing rate, constricts blood vessels and contracts muscles, according to Psychologist World.
Symptoms of Anxiety
This internal anxiety response results in a variety of symptoms. Common symptoms of anxiety include restlessness, irritability, fatigue, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, sweating and shortness of breath. The constriction of blood vessels that occurs in anxiety can inhibit blood flow to the brain, resulting in dizziness. Feelings of nervousness triggered by anxiety can also lead to hyperventilation, a condition that occurs when breathing becomes rapid. Hyperventilation results in a decreased level of carbon dioxide in the blood, which triggers the blood vessels in the extremities and head to constrict, decreasing the amount of blood and oxygen reaching the brain and leading to dizziness.
Anxiety Disorders
Patients experiencing occasional anxiety with occasional dizziness should not worry. Symptoms of anxiety that last for at least six months may indicate an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. Anxiety disorders can cause chronic dizziness, a condition that becomes both bothersome and dangerous.
