Dizziness usually comes suddenly and are uncomfortable for the person affected. What is behind it and what you can do about it, you will find out here. If you click on the video, you will see the most common causes at a glance!
How do you get dizzy spells?
The balance organ in the inner ear, the receptors in the muscles and our eyes together create a sense of balance and spatial orientation. Dizziness(vertigo) arises when our brain receives contradictory information from these sensory organs. In this case one also speaks of vestibular dizziness.
Dizziness and possible causes
Vestibular dizziness
So if the dizzy spell is related to the balance system, it is vestibular dizziness. These include various forms:
positional vertigo
The so-called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPLS) occurs with a change in position. Small stones dissolve in the inner ear, enter the semicircular canals of the inner ear , stimulate the sensory cells there and trigger dizziness. The benign storage vertigo occurs seizure-like (paroxysmal). In addition, it is possible that the vertigo attack comes up while lying down and leads to nausea.
Meniere’s Disease (Meniere’s Disease)
In this rather rare disease of the inner ear it comes to seizure-like dizziness, ear noises such as tinnitus and a one-sided hearing loss. The cause of Meniere’s disease is still unknown.
Vestibular neuritis
It is an inflammation of the balance nerve, which occurs more in people between the 50th and the 60th year of life. Behind it may be a virus infection. Nausea, vomiting, and a falling tendency are among the possible symptoms.
Motion sickness (kinetosis)
Unusual movements confuse the sense of balance, which can be on a ship, but also curvy car or bus.
Non-vestibular dizziness
If the dizziness has nothing to do with the balance system, other causes are possible, such as:
- Hypertension or low blood pressure
- nerve disorders
- anemia
- Arrhythmia
- pregnancy
- Low blood sugar level
- Badly adjusted glasses
- eye diseases
- Emotional problems like fear, stress or conflicts
Alcohol or drug use can lead to balance disorders and dizziness. Dizziness may also be a side effect of medication against, for example, hypertension, depression or migraine.
forms of vertigo
In addition to the possible causes, one distinguishes dizziness attacks, as the dizziness is perceived.
vertigo
Swinging makes itself felt, for example, when getting up. Those affected feel that the environment or they are turning themselves around. Nausea and vomiting may also occur.
vertigo
Not only when standing, even when walking, the person is dizzy. To that one is as if the ground under the feet is being moved or torn away. In addition to a fall inclination and dizziness, a feeling of powerlessness can be added.
lift dizziness
In the case of a lift dizziness, the person affected feels pulled up or down in an elevator, possibly accompanied by a feeling of falling.
Pseudo-Vertigo
If the environment does not seem to be spinning, but the person feels dizzy and black, it is called pseudo vertigo. As the pseudo (Greek for false) reveals in the name, there is no actual hoax here.
Dizziness – you can do that
In acute cases, you can stabilize your circulation by lying down and raising your legs. With age-related dizziness, regular physical activity can promote blood circulation in the inner ear and improve dizziness. In some cases, drug therapy may be useful. The measures depend on the cause of dizziness:
Drug therapy in Meniere’s disease
The cause of this condition is unknown, so it is only possible to treat the symptoms. In acute attacks, drugs with the drug betahistine can help. In severe and frequent cases, an interval therapy with drugs can be tried. A healthy diet and lifestyle is recommended to prevent further attacks.
Training and medication for vestibular neuritis
A therapy with so-called glucocorticoids helps the equilibrium, as well as a dizziness training with balance exercises.
Drugs in motion sickness (kinetosis)
Again, agents with a group of drugs called antivertiginosa can help against dizziness and nausea.
Exercises for positioning vertigo
With various exercises, the earstones from the archways can be conveyed out again. These so-called maneuvers after Eply and Sémont, you will find in this article: Crystals in the ear .
Prevent dizzy spells
In addition to physiotherapeutic and drug treatments, the following tips can help:
- Drink enough, so 1.5 to 2 liters a day
- Avoid low sugar by eating regularly and enough
- Relaxation exercises help you to reduce stress
- Regularly check blood pressure (that’s right: measure blood pressure )
- Get up slowly and put on
When to the doctor?
- For sudden dizziness attacks without apparent cause
- Certain head movements cause dizziness again and again
- For side effects such as nausea, tinnitus, shortness of breath or vomiting
- Dizziness during illness such as otitis media, flu or shingles
To which doctor in case of dizzy spells?
If the dizziness does not stop again or if dizziness persists again and again, it is advisable to see a doctor. In order for the right therapy to be initiated, it is important to know the cause. For the diagnosis it can be that several specialized areas. z. B. from ENT, internal medicine, ophthalmology, orthopedics and neurology must be consulted.