Menopause occurs when your menstrual cycle stops and gradually progresses over time.
Dizziness during menopause is common. It can be related to problems that can occur around menopause (such as hot flashes, anxiety or fatigue) or other medical problems such as ear or heart problems. It can be a feeling that everything is spinning, that you are off balance or that you are about to faint.
What causes dizziness during menopause?
Many causes of dizziness during menopause are related to the hormonal changes that occur in people with ovaries at this time. In the years before and immediately after menopause, estrogen and progesterone levels begin to decrease, causing menstrual cycles to become irregular and symptoms (such as hot flashes and dizziness) to occur.
These hormonal changes can cause dizziness by affecting:
- Your inner ear: Your body’s balance system is located deep in your ear, and hormonal changes can affect this system, causing a condition called benign paroxysmal positional dyspareunia (BPPV). This causes intense dizziness (brief episodes of vertigo) when you move your head in certain directions. It is different from other causes of dizziness, such as inner ear infections, heart rhythm or heart rate problems, and panic or anxiety attacks.
- How well you sleep: Hot flashes can wake you up at night and disrupt your sleep, but menopause can also affect the quality of your sleep overall without hot flashes. This can make you feel more tired or exhausted the next day, leading to dizziness.
- Your temperature: Hot flushes can make it difficult to sleep and if you don’t sleep well, this can cause fatigue and dizziness during the day. There may also be other associated symptoms such as sweating or palpitations.
- Your mood: Anxiety and depression are common features of menopause and can lead to severe stress and panic attacks, which can then cause dizziness. They can also cause severe fatigue that makes you feel dizzy.
- Your blood sugar levels: Because the hormone oestrogen plays a role in helping the body break down food into glucose (sugar), when oestrogen levels change, blood sugar levels change. This means that the body is not getting a steady supply of energy and this can cause fatigue and dizziness. Dizziness can also be a sign of diabetes, with other common symptoms being feeling thirsty all the time, passing urine frequently, feeling tired, losing weight and getting infections more often. If you have these symptoms, seek medical attention from your doctor.
- Frequency of Migraines: This type of headache becomes more common during menopause, and there is a link between migraines and dizziness. If you have migraines before menopause, this means you are likely to experience them more often during this time, including feeling dizzy more often. Vestibular migraines are a type of migraine where you experience a combination of dizziness, lightheadedness or balance problems, along with other migraine symptoms such as feeling sick or ill, and sensitivity to light, sound or movement
What can you do to reduce dizziness during perimenopause?
A few simple precautions can prevent dizziness from occurring in the first place if it is caused by something minor, including:
- Make sure you stay hydrated: This is even more important when your body is going through the changes of menopause. At least eight glasses of water a day will help keep you hydrated. Herbal teas are also great, especially in the colder months.
- Try ginger tea: It’s delicious and has anti-inflammatory properties, which is great if you have joint and muscle pain. Just grate fresh ginger and make tea.
- Eat well and regularly to keep your blood sugar stable: Choose proteins like nuts and eggs and combine them with healthy fats.
- Limit unhealthy foods: Avoid processed and refined foods, especially white foods like sugar and flour.
- Relax: We can’t say it enough, we’re stressed these days. Sure, it’s usually for good reason, so if you can take a moment for yourself, do it. Just 15 minutes of deep breathing or mindfulness can go a long way.
