Dizziness

People use the term dizziness to describe many sensations. You might feel faint, unsteady, or as if your body or surroundings are spinning. Dizziness has many possible causes, including inner ear conditions, motion sickness and medicine side effects. You can have bouts of dizziness at any age. But as you get older, you become more sensitive or prone to its causes. Dizziness can make you feel: Lightheaded, as though you might pass out. Less steady or at risk of losing balance. Like you or your surroundings are spinning or moving, also known as vertigo. A sense of floating, swimming or heavy-headedness. Often, dizziness is a short-term issue that goes away without treatment. If you see your healthcare professional, try to describe: Your specific symptoms. How the dizziness makes you feel as it is coming on and after it has passed. What seems to trigger it. How long it lasts. This information helps your healthcare professional find and treat the cause of your dizziness.

The causes of dizziness are as varied as the ways it makes people feel. It can result from something as simple as motion sickness — the queasy feeling that you get on twisting roads and roller coasters. Or it could be due to various other treatable health conditions or medicine side effects. Very rarely, dizziness may stem from infection, injury or conditions that reduce blood flow to the brain. Sometimes healthcare professionals can't find a cause. In general, dizziness that happens without any other symptoms is not likely to be a symptom of a stroke. Inner ear problems Dizziness often is caused by conditions that affect the balance organ in the inner ear. Inner ear conditions also can cause vertigo, the sense that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving. Examples of such conditions include: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) Migraine Meniere's disease Balance problems Reduced blood flow Dizziness can be caused if your brain doesn't receive enough blood. This can happen for reasons such as: Arteriosclerosis / atherosclerosis Anemia Overheating or not being well hydrated Hypoglycemia Heart arrhythmia Orthostatic hypotension (postural hypotension) Stroke Transient ischemic attack (TIA) Certain medicines Some types of medicines cause dizziness as a side effect, including some types of: Antidepressants Anti-seizure medicines Medicines to control high blood pressure Sedatives Tranquilizers Other causes of dizziness Carbon monoxide poisoning Concussion Depression (major depressive disorder) Generalized anxiety disorder Motion sickness: First aid Panic attacks and panic disorder