Vertigo is a feeling of lightheadedness and spinning, with or without movement. It occurs when the brain perceives the body as being off balance when it is not.
Some ways to deal with sudden dizziness are:
1. If you feel dizzy, stop moving immediately
If you feel a pain coming on, stay still for a few minutes. Do not move your head. Staying still allows your blood pressure to stabilize and helps your inner ear regain its normal balance.
2. Then sit down
Dizziness and lightheadedness often occur when you change positions or stand. Sitting down immediately often relieves the symptoms and is much safer than trying to stand still while the world is spinning.
3. Reach Out and Touch Something
When you feel dizzy or lightheaded, gently place your fingers on objects around you, such as a bookshelf, a table, or the back of a chair. The spinning sensation occurs when your brain receives conflicting messages.
Your eyes may believe you’re spinning, while your feet know perfectly well that you’re standing still. This conflicting sensation makes the dizziness worse. If you touch enough objects, your sensory nerves will begin to adjust.
4. Try the Tilt Trick
The Epley maneuver, a series of simple head and neck movements that last about a minute, has been shown to help treat dizziness. In one study, 94% of people with dizziness felt better after just one week of daily tilting sessions.
You can also visit vestibular.org to find a knowledgeable practitioner. Leaning exercises work by moving the floating calcium crystals back into the inner ear, where they can be reabsorbed.
5. Flex your legs
If you have orthostatic hypotension, blood tends to pool in your legs and feet. This reduces blood flow to your brain, which can lead to dizziness. Flexing your leg muscles before standing up, for example by crossing and uncrossing your legs, helps to push blood back into circulation.
6. Step up
Don’t jump out of bed in the morning. Instead, swing your legs over the edge of the bed and sit up slowly. Wait a minute or two, then slowly stand up, which gives your blood pressure time to adjust, which can prevent dizziness.
7. Keep moving
People who experience dizziness frequently become increasingly afraid of falling. As a result, they become less and less active. This reduces the brain’s ability to monitor and refine their sense of balance, which increases the likelihood of falling. It is important to stay physically active to maintain muscle strength and balance.
Walk as normal. Go shopping. Go for a run or ride an exercise bike. As long as you move carefully at high-risk times, such as using handrails when going down stairs or moving slowly after changing positions, you are unlikely to lose your balance.
8. Know your triggers
Dizziness and lightheadedness that occur at predictable times, such as when you first wake up in the morning or when you suddenly change positions, can be a sign of an easily treatable inner ear disorder.
A sudden drop in blood pressure can cause dizziness and this can be caused by many things, including sudden changes in temperature, such as when you go from a hot car into an air-conditioned building.
9. Hunger is another trigger for some people
Dizziness from hunger can be related to low blood sugar, while dizziness after a meal can be caused by digestive processes stealing blood from the brain.
10. Be careful in the bathroom
The bathroom is a high-risk area because the combination of slippery surfaces and off-balance movements, such as bending over to brush your teeth, makes you more likely to fall. Additionally, bathing or showering causes blood vessels to dilate and causes a drop in blood pressure. If you move too quickly, your brain may not get enough oxygen, making you feel lightheaded and dizzy. So install grab bars in the bath and shower and next to the toilet, which provide something to balance you on in case dizziness strikes when you’re standing or getting out of the bath.
11. Drink plenty of water
The feeling of thirst decreases over time, which means older people tend to get a little dry. Even mild dehydration can cause a drop in blood pressure, leading to occasional dizziness.
Try to drink eight to 10 8-ounce glasses of water each day. Water is great, but when someone is dehydrated, sports drinks are even better. They contain sodium and other electrolytes that help the body retain water.
