Experiencing dizziness, loss of balance or lightheadedness for the first time can be an alarming feeling. While these symptoms can mean you should be concerned about heart and other issues, such as a stroke, they are quite common and often mean something much less severe is happening. According to the Mayo Clinic, the eyes, sensory nerves and inner ear control your balance, and, when more than one of these is compromised, you can experience dizziness.
Vertigo
Vertigo can make you feel as if the room and space around you is spinning and can make you physically ill with nausea and vomiting. This is a common cause of dizziness and may be caused by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), inflammation of the inner ear, Meniere’s disease, acoustic neuroma, migraines and changing positions rapidly.
BPPV is caused by normally occurring calcium carbonate crystals that fall into the inner ear canals after physical trauma or because of old age. Inner ear inflammation may be caused by a viral ear infection, and the onset of vertigo is sudden and severe. Meniere’s disease is a result of excessive fluid buildup in the inner ear canals and can also cause ringing in the ears. Migraine-related vertigo may or may not accompany a migraine headache, which may be triggered by a food allergy or altered physical states. An acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor or growth found on the vestibular nerve, which connects the inner ear to the brain. Very rarely is vertigo a symptom of serious hemorrhage, stroke or multiple sclerosis.
Perynscope
Perynscope is a medical term for experiencing lightheadedness or the feeling of becoming faint, yet you remain conscious at all times. The two main causes of perynscope are a sudden drop in blood pressure after changing body positions too quickly and decreased blood volume to the heart as a result of blockage, abnormal heart rhythm or heart disease.
Anxiety
Anxiety has been known to cause dizziness and perpetuate it, even after the physical cause has been resolved, states LivingWithAnxiety.com. For example, your dizziness may be caused by an inner ear infection, but having anxiety about the illness or symptoms can cause the dizziness to remain.
Hyperventilation
Often experienced along with anxiety, hyperventilation occurs when you persistently breath rapidly and uncontrollably, leading to dizziness.
Hormonal Changes
Pregnant and menopausal women often experience dizziness and lightheadedness as a result of changes in normal estrogen levels in the blood, explains LivingWithAnxiety.com.
Medications and Interactions
Changing medications or taking them for medical issues, such as seizures, may contribute to or increase the feeling of dizziness, so check with your pharmacist or physician.
