Dizziness and Vertigo

Dizziness and vertigo is a broad term used to explain how we feel when our sense of balance is not quite right. The term encompasses a variety of sensations that can mean different things to different people. If you have ever been dizzy, you may have found it difficult to describe exactly how it made you feel. Some people who report feeling dizzy say they feel as if everything is spinning around them, or as if they are spinning or turning themselves. This is what doctors usually mean when they refer to vertigo. Others describe feeling wobbly or unsteady as if they were on a boat. And still others may describe their dizziness as a feeling of “floating”, lightheadedness or “giddiness”.

Dizziness can be caused by a number of different factors, including a variety of problems within the balance control mechanism itself. How we control our balance is a complex process involving many different parts of the body.

Causes of dizziness

• Allergies.
• Illnesses such as flu or colds.
• Very profound or quick breathing (hyperventilation).
• Worry and anxiety
• Tobacco, alcohol, or drugs abuse.

Common reasons of vertigo:

• Inner ear disorders – Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Ménière’s disease, vestibular neuronitis, or labyrinthitis.
• Ear or head injury.
• Migraine headaches, which are throbbing, devastating headaches and that happen with vertigo, sickness, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, noise, and smell.
• Reduced blood flow through the arteries that supply blood to the brain.

Symptoms

• Vision variations, such as unclear or double vision, halos, or spots.
• Chest pain.
• Confusion.
• Sickness or nausea.
• Feebleness or inability to stand or walk.
• Breath shortness or feeling of suffocation.
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or hearing loss.