Dizziness is an unpleasant feeling of unsteadiness, lightheadedness or nausea.Dizziness is an unpleasant feeling of unsteadiness, lightheadedness or nausea, and may also feel like our heads are spinning.
We may have gotten up too quickly after lying down, or it may be due to other problems. In this article we help you differentiate them from dizziness and explain the most common causes of dizziness.
What are dizziness and symptoms
Dizziness is a series of sensations that cause us physical discomfort, due to the fact that it causes us a sensation of loss of balance, nausea or lightheadedness.
The symptoms of dizziness can appear suddenly, producing a feeling of faintness, or they can be prolonged, when we feel nausea and continuous headache. They can also last only a few seconds or last for days.
The symptoms of dizziness are very varied and there are more or less mild, depending on the type of dizziness we are talking about. These can be the following:
- Instability
- Loss of balance
- Dizziness
- Feeling of a heavy head
- Feeling that everything is spinning
- Fainting sensation
- Nausea
- Vomiting
There can be many causes behind dizziness, the most common being motion sickness, lack of blood flow to the head, or alterations of the sense of balance.
They are usually common discomforts, but if they are repeated often or affect your daily life, you should consult a doctor to find out the cause and rule out possible diseases.
How do we differentiate dizziness from vertigo?
Although they may seem to be the same concept and may be used synonymously, dizziness and vertigo are different conditions.
Dizziness is the discomfort that makes us feel faint and that our head is floating. and that our head is floating, creating a feeling of general discomfort.
Vertigo, on the other hand, is the false sensation that everything around us sensation that everything around us is in movement, even though we are still although we are still, and it is due to an alteration of the balance in our auditory system, which is the one in charge of the balance.
Vertigo is usually accompanied by a feeling of dizziness, but we can have dizziness without suffering from vertigo and its causes are cerebral and not auditory.
Most common causes of dizziness and vertigo
The following are the most common causes of dizziness or vertigo.
1. Motion sickness
The most common dizziness is caused by movement, also called motion sickness, and surely we have all experienced it at some time. They are that feeling of discomfort that we can have when we travel by car or boat, and that are caused by the movementsThey are caused by the sudden movements of these vehicles.
In this case it happens that our brain has problems to process the sensation of movement that we feel by our sense of balance, because we remain still.
2. Postural vertigo
Another of the most common dizziness that we can experience is the one that comes when we stand up too fast. when we get up too quickly after having been lying down or sitting for a long time. This type of dizziness is known as paroxysmal positional vertigoIt is considered a vertigo because it is produced by an alteration of the sensation of balance in our auditory system. They are very common and do not imply any health problem.
3. Low blood sugar
Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia is another of the most common causes of dizziness. This may be due to poor diet, lack of nutrients at a given time or after very intense exercise, which causes our glucose levels to be low in our blood.
4. Hypotension
Suffering from hypotension or low blood pressure causes dizziness. causes dizziness. By having a low pressure in the arteries, the blood flow cannot circulate well to the brain, producing a feeling of dizziness among other symptoms.
5. Anemia
Iron deficiency anemia occurs when we do not have enough iron. when we do not have sufficient amount of iron in our body, which is the one that allows us to produce red blood cells. This deficiency can lead to dizziness and fatigue.
- Related article: “10 foods rich in iron ideal to combat anemia”.
6. Dehydration
The dehydration occurs after a lack of water or the loss of liquids abruptly due to alterations such as diarrhea or intense sweating (due to fever or after exercise). This lack of liquids and minerals in our organism can cause a drop in pressure due to movement and produce dizziness.
7. Anxiety
Anxiety is another cause, and in these cases appears as a symptom of the body’s own alert. symptom of alert of the own body in front of a danger or a fear lived with great intensity. In the most severe cases it can produce fainting.
8. Stress
In the same way as when we feel anxiety, situations that produce tension or stress can also lead us to experience vertigo and dizziness. These are produced in stressful situations and are usually of cervical origin. In this type of situations we tense the musculature, especially the cervical, which prevents us from a good blood circulation and can produce a feeling of dizziness.
- Related article: “8 infallible techniques to avoid stress”.
9. Pregnancy
Dizziness during pregnancy they are also very common, since during the gestation important hormonal and cardiovascular changes are undergone. The blood vessels dilate and the heart pumps a greater amount of blood, varying abruptly our blood pressure and causing poor circulation or lack of blood flow.
10. Migraine
They can also be due to the suffering of migraine, when the person feels a very intense headache accompanied by sensitivity to light, noise or movement.to noise or movement. Migraine symptoms may also be accompanied by nausea and sometimes even vomiting.
11. Medications
Many types of medications can cause dizziness, either because it is part of their side effects or because it is a is part of their side effects or because a higher dose than the one stipulated in each case has been ingested.
12. Consumption of addictive substances
The consumption of drugs or addictive substances is another cause, since they can affect the circulation or cause intoxication if the consumption has been excessive. The consumption of alcoholic beverages or tobacco are an example.
13. Balance disorders
Dizziness associated with vertigo has as its main cause some disorder of the sense of balancea system located in the inner ear. Alterations or infections in this system and pressure changes produce this sensation of vertigo and instability. Some of these disorders are vestibular neuronitis or Ménière’s disease.
14. Cerebrovascular accident
Dizziness may have as a possible cause a stroke, cerebrovascular accident, stroke or ictus if they are accompanied by the following symptoms: loss of sensation on one side of the body, sudden loss of speech or vision, difficulty in movement and disorientation. In this case, medical attention should be sought immediately.
15. Other illnesses
Neurological problems or diseases that affect the brain system, such as Parkinson’s disease, may cause this dizziness and loss of balance. Some cardiovascular diseases can also be the cause, due to the circulatory problems they cause.