When Should You Worry About Dizziness?
Dizziness can be worrisome if it is associated with dangerous or life-threatening conditions. Seek emergency medical care if any of the following symptoms accompany dizziness:
- Difficulty breathing
- Fainting
- Double vision
- Chest pain
- Sudden, severe headache
- Numbness or paralysis of the arms or legs
- Confusion or slurred speech
- Stumbling or difficulty walking
- Ongoing vomiting
- Seizures
- Sudden change in hearing
- Facial numbness or weakness
- Rapid, irregular heartbeats
- Head injury
- High fever or pale skin
- Neck stiffness
Call your doctor if you notice the following:
- Sudden dizziness
- Recent history of head or neck injury
- Dizziness without an obvious cause
- Changes in the known pattern of dizziness
- Worsening of symptoms
- Severe, new instances of dizziness
- Dizziness after taking newly prescribed medications
- Sudden weight loss
- Changes in bowel patterns
- Problems with touch, taste, or smell
What are the most common symptoms associated with dizziness?
The most common symptoms of dizziness include:
- Light-headedness or fainting
- Weakness
- Feeling unsteady with slight loss of balance
- Vertigo
- Confusion
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Nausea
- Clumsiness
- Brief blurring of vision
Occasionally, other symptoms may accompany dizziness, including:
What causes dizziness?
Dizziness is usually caused by reduced blood flow to the brain and can be triggered by:
- Standing too long in one place (causes blood to pool in the legs)
- Standing up suddenly (causes a sudden drop in blood pressure)
- Dehydration from losing fluids or from not drinking enough fluids
- Low oxygen levels
- Exposure to high heat (such as using a hot tub)
- Sweating from sports or extreme physical activity
- Skipping a meal (causes low blood sugar)
- Fever
- Motion sickness
- Vertigo
People with COVID-19 and other viral illnesses may also experience dizziness due to weakness from being sick.
Which diseases can cause dizziness?
Medical conditions associated with dizziness include:
- Heart disease or blood pressure problems: Heart attack, irregular heart rhythms, fast or slow heart rate, hypertension, low blood pressure, weakened or diseased heart muscle
- Brain diseases or conditions: Headache, migraine, fainting, stroke, tumor, dementia
- Medications: Antidepressants, blood pressure medications, diuretics, pain relievers, sedatives, tranquilizers, antibiotics
- Metabolic disorders: Low blood oxygen level, uncontrolled diabetes, hypoglycemia
- Other illnesses: Internal bleeding, anemia, prolonged bed rest, allergies, cervical spondylosis, inner ear diseases
- Psychiatric conditions: Anxiety, depression, panic disorder, hyperventilation
- Aging: Atherosclerosis, neuropathy, weakness, menopause, poor eyesight, loss of coordination, menopause, tinnitus
- Pregnancy