Dizziness is a common complaint but a vague term. People use the word dizziness to describe many symptoms. Some people call clouding of vision on standing dizziness, some call feeling the surroundings rotate around them dizziness. Others call feeling unsteady or weak. Anyway, dizziness is one of the common causes of doctor visits and it is rarely a serious illness.
Lightheadedness or Dizziness
People say I am lightheaded when they feel the surroundings are blacking out or they are going to faint away; and they say I am dizzy when the things around them are spinning and their balance is not right. Vertigo is the medical term for the last condition. But lightheadedness and dizziness are used interchangeably and they men the same for most people. Although usually they are not something to worry about but in some cases they could be a sign of some illness, sometimes serious.
Low Glucose in Blood
Your body gets its energy by burning sugar, just like the car gets energy by burning fuel. When your sugar level is low it is called hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is rare in normal people and it is mainly associated with diabetes and its medications. But if you are on some sort of diet like intermittent fasting, or you are fasting Ramadan, it can happen. Hypoglycemia is easy to recognize : you feel hungry , you may sweat, you may feel weak or about to faint, your heart may speed up and your hands tremble, your vision may blur out ,and your legs may not be able to carry you anymore. You can restore your glucose level with eating : a few grams of carb, something like fruit juice, a piece of biscuits or a teaspoonful of honey.
What is Vertigo
Vertigo is the medical term given when you feel your body or the space around you spinning. Many people think it is the fear of heights but it is not. Vertigo is not a disease but a symptom. You can also feel nauseated and may vomit too. You lose your balance and steady gait. Sometimes vertigo is accompanied by ringing in the ears. The most common type takes place when there are some problems with the inner ear and the vestibular apparatus responsible for keeping balance.
Rapidly Standing
Sometimes when get up from sitting or lying down to standing position quickly, blood pooling in your lower limbs will not have enough time to reach your brain against gravity. In medical terminology it is called orthostatic or postural hypotension and it is not serious. You feel blacking of vision or faint but this has to pass away quickly. If not, or it is repetitive, then it warrants a doctor visit to investigate other causes.
Drugs
Medications for HTN, heart, depression and other conditions can lower blood pressure and make you feel dizzy. The drugs lower blood glucose can have the same side effect. dizziness is a common complaint in elderly people taking multiple drugs. If you think your dizziness is due to a new drug you started taking, talk to your doctor about it.
Motion Sickness
Fast moving of body parts can confuse the vestibular system about your body position. This can happen if you are traveling by car, train, ship, airplane or any other transportation means. This can cause you nausea and vomiting. Sometimes after the arrival your symptoms continue for some time. This is known as debarquement. You may experience difficulties in balance, swaying sensations and spinning. The problem according to researchers is due to some malfunction within brain and ot the inner ears
Electrolytes Imbalance
Sometimes dehydration can cause dizziness. This happens when you lose a lot of body fluids through sweat or excretions with no sufficient fluids intake to replace it. Hypotension can ensue and you may feel it like tiredness, weakness and lightheadedness. If your urine is yellow and not clear, this is a sign for you to drink and take more fluids
Meniere’s Syndrome
This condition is characterized by episodes of vertigo , when you feel the world spinning around you and you become unbalanced, along with ringing in your ears know medically as tinnitus, and sickness. The episodes last from twenty minutes to hours. The exact cause of this syndrome is not established, but it is treated currently by medications , reduction in salt intake and some dietary changes.
Iron Deficiency
Iron is required for your red blood cells to function correctly and be able to deliver oxygen to different cells around the body. Iron is obtained from many foods like meat, spinach, and tofu. Deficiency of iron in your body leads to a condition know as microcytic anemia where your hemoglobin level is low and your red blood cells shape is spherical , small and circular. This anemia can make you pale, dizzy and tired. Iron deficiency can result in females from heavy menstrual periods.
Cardiac Disease
Weakness of cardiac muscles due to any cause : hypertension, ischemia, myopathies, etc. can reduce the amount of oxygen delivered to the brain. This can result in dizziness and wooziness. This can happen abruptly without any previous signs. If you have any chest pain, erratic heart beats, palpitations, or easy fatigability consult your doctor for a checkup
Inner Ear Inflammation
Your inner ear has a system for movement detection and balance composed of semicircular canals and nerve fibers. The nerve connecting your inner ear and brain is know as the vestibular nerve. A viral infection can cause inflammation and swelling of the vestibular nerve and result in vestibular neuritis. This can result in vertigo, loss of balance and steadiness, nausea and vomiting, and ringing in your ears. It can last several days and sometimes need more than a month to recover completely. Sometimes hearing is affected and the condition is known as labyrinthitis. it is a self-limiting illness with a spontaneous recovery but you may need a bed rest for some period of time
Head Trauma
Trauma to the head can rupture the membrane separating middle ear from inner ear. Air from middle ear can then go into the fluid-filled cochlea and semicircular canals in your inner ear. Dizziness and unsteadiness can ensue as a consequence. Other symptoms include ear ringing, fullness and sensitivity to loud sounds. Air pressure changes like traveling in an airplane or going to an area with different altitude can worsen the symptoms. Bed rest for a few weeks can allow the hole to close but if not you will need some surgery to close it
Serious Causes
Rarely a sudden serious cause is there. Call ER if :
- Movements or sensations on one side of your face or body are lost or impaired
- Vision in one or both eyes is affected
- Speech is slurred
- Sudden, unusual, severe headache
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