How Serious Are Dizzy Spells, and What Causes Them?

Dizziness is a complex term that describes various sensations that sometimes happen simultaneously. These sensations create the sense that your surroundings are moving or spinning, a feeling called vertigo.

Despite being a common reason adults visit the hospital, dizzy spells are often not a sign of a severe condition. However, it is the symptom of some disorders or underlying illnesses. One of the ways to know it may be a sign of an underlying condition is when you experience it often. If you have repeat or prolonged episodes, you should call your doctor or get someone to take you to the hospital.

So, what are the symptoms of dizzy spells? What causes them? When should you see a doctor because of dizzy spells? Read on to learn more.

What Are the Symptoms of Dizziness?

Patients who experience dizziness all have similar reports of how it feels.
 

• Vertigo: Most patients feel like the world is spinning or moving around them.
   

• Unsteadiness: Patients describe losing balance and inability to steady themselves.
   

• Faint: Most patients report feeling faint or light-headed.
   

• Wooziness: Some patients feel heavy-headed or like they are floating.

When Should You See a Doctor?

As mentioned earlier, it would be best to make an appointment with a clinic if you experience recurrent or prolonged episodes of dizziness. However, there are other reasons why you should see a doctor if you are dizzy. Some of them are:
 

• Chest pain
   

• Severe headache that develops all of a sudden
   

• Paralysis or numbness in your limbs
   

• Difficulty breathing
   

• Double vision
   

• Fainting
   

• Slurred speech or confusion
   

• Irregular and rapid heartbeat
   

• Vomiting that does not stop
   

• Difficulty walking or stumbling
   

• Unexplained change in hearing
   

• Seizures
   

• Weakness or numbness in the face

What Causes Dizzy Spells?

Binocular Vision Dysfunction

Also known as BVD, this condition is characterized by misaligned eyes. Because of this misalignment, the brain exerts more effort to compensate for poor eye teaming. It takes a toll on your body and can manifest physical symptoms like headaches, dizziness, light-headedness, or disorientation. These will usually become intense if you move your head from side to side or drive around a curve. 

Inner Ear Issues

Balance in the body is the product of several structures and body parts working together. They include the eyes, inner ear, and sensory nerves. One of the parts that may be affected easily to impact balance is the inner ear.

A condition known as Meniere’s disease causes a buildup of fluid in the inner ear. The buildup will affect your hearing and may cause ringing in the ears and the feeling of your ears being plugged.

Sitting or Standing Up Quickly

If you were lying down or sitting for some time and you changed your position quickly, you may have a dizzy spell. This feeling, event, or experience is called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. It causes disequilibrium and vertigo. Vertigo, as described above, is the feeling of spinning, while disequilibrium is a loss of balance.

Infection

You can develop vestibular neuritis, a viral infection of the vestibular nerve that causes constant intense vertigo. You may have labyrinthitis if you have intense, constant vertigo and hearing loss.

Migraines

Patients who suffer from migraines also report having episodes of dizziness or vertigo. These episodes can come even when they are not suffering from a migraine. The episode may last minutes or hours, accompanied by headaches, noise, and light sensitivity.

If you or someone you know suffers from any of these symptoms, get relief now and take our Free 5 Minute Self Test to find out if you have BVD Here.