The World is Spinning & So is My Head!

Reduced Blood Pressure or Blood Sugar Levels Often Cause Dizziness

You bend down to pick something and feel the entire room spinning around you and fear that you might faint anytime. We term this as dizziness and this can cause different sensations in different people. Dizziness can be the feeling that occurs when we stand up suddenly, the feeling of movement while we are standing still or light-headedness. Commonly affecting the older generation, it can affect a person of any age group. Almost all individuals experience dizziness at some point in their life and most of the times it is non-indicative of a disease. But, if dizziness is accompanied by double-vision, vomiting, trouble moving your hands/legs or problem doing work, it is better to give a visit to your physician immediately.
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Causes
Some of the most common causes of dizziness include:

Poor Blood Circulation: If blood does not circulate oxygen properly throughout the body, the brain does not get its proper share of oxygen and the slightest movement of bending down or getting up can make the person feel dizzy. If this is the case, it is better that the individual visits the physician as it is an indication of a bigger problem such as a heart attack, abnormal heart beat or congestive heart failure.

Low Blood Sugar: Skipping meals makes us quite dizzy due to low blood sugar levels and this is specifically visible greatly in diabetic people.

Low Blood Pressure: Individuals experiencing low blood pressure levels feel dizziness when they move their head, bend to pick something or stand up suddenly.

Dehydration: Insufficient water levels in the body causes dehydration which might be due to vomiting, illness, exposure to hot weather, exercise and staying for a long time without drinking enough water. Such decreased water content causes difficulty in brain functioning leading to dizziness.

Anemia: Here again, there is less oxygen supply to the brain resulting in dizziness or lightheadedness due to lack of oxygen-rich red blood cells in our body (anemia).

Side Effects of Medications: Individuals put on new medications such as pain relievers, diuretics, tranquilizers, sedatives, antidepressants or blood pressure medications can lead to dizziness.

Inner Ear Problems: Inner ear is said to regulate a person’s body balance and ear infections can make a person feel dizzy when standing up or bending. A person might hear a ringing sound in the ear and face inner ear problems called vertigo which is common when calcium particle from one part of the ear moves to another part of the ear.

Other possible causes include stress, anxiety, migraine, motion sickness, atherosclerosis and labyrinthitis. Stress is a silent killer which is not obviously visible but takes a toll on your everyday life. There are simple yet tactical ways to deal with stress as given in the website www.firsteatright.com.

Do’s & Don’ts for Treating Dizziness
Dizziness does not need any treatment and usually goes away on its own. You can do a few things from your side to minimize its side effects:

Do

• Lie down until you feel that dizziness has vanished and then get up slowly
• Rest as much as possible and if moving, do it slowly and carefully
• Consume a lot of fluids like water and avoid beverages like coffee, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes
  
  

Don’t

• Bend down or get up suddenly
• Do any dangerous work like driving, climbing a ladder or using heavy machinery
• Lie flat on your head without a pillow
  
  

It is better to meet your doctor if you feel that you find it hard to hear, dizziness keeps coming back, arms and legs feel numb, you have double vision or changes in your eyesight and face other symptoms like fainting, headaches or sickness.