Dizziness is not a medical condition in itself; instead, it is a symptom of an underlying problem.
If you have ever felt disoriented due to a loss of balance with a feeling of lightheadedness and false sense of motion, you may have experienced vertigo.
What element Dizziness??
Let’s find out the 4 main factors that cause dizziness as follows:
- Semicircular Canals: This is a very common cause of dizziness. Problems with this condition are often the cause of BPPV, also known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which occurs when small particles of the inner ear canal become loose and fall into the semicircular canals of the inner ear.
- Eyes: When our eyes do not process properly or are out of balance, input to the brain and balance center can be lost. It is important to have your eyes checked to make sure they are working properly.
- Jaw: The jaw and the inner ear share a ligament. So the bones responsible for hearing are also connected to the anatomy of the temporomandibular joint. Things like the TMJ that put stress on the jaw joint can affect the middle ear structures responsible for maintaining balance and can cause dizziness.
- Cervical spine: This is the most often overlooked part, the bones throughout the neck can affect the balance centers of the brain and can throw you off balance completely, causing you to experience frequent dizziness. Making sure your cervical spine and neck are in a normal position is important to prevent dizziness.
What influences dizziness?
There are a number of things you can do to influence the frequency and severity of your dizziness experiences. This depends on the three stressors and how you manage them to ensure you prevent dizziness.
1. Physical Stress
This includes more than just recent physical stress and trauma, it includes what you have experienced throughout your life. What most people don’t realise is that running into the corner of a desk and cutting your head off when you were younger, even though that injury was treated at the time, it is very likely that it also affected and changed the structures in your spine. Later on, you may experience headaches or neck pain in your mid-30s, these are warning signs that your spine is out of alignment and your body is weakening.
Masking away symptoms with things like painkillers and not treating the cause of the problem will allow more serious problems to arise and this is why many people over 50 start to experience dizziness, lightheadedness and vertigo.
Additionally, physical stress can interfere with your normal activities and movements, such as:
- Exercise and training
- How you sit at your desk
- Playing with your kids
- Car accidents
- Sports
All of these play a role and can affect the health of your spine. That’s why it’s important to make sure your spine is properly aligned and that your brain is able to connect with your body properly.
2. Chemical stressors
Chemical stressors include the foods you eat, the fluids you drink, the medications you take, and the supplements and nutrients you take. The cleaner we live, the better we live. You want to put more food and nutrients into your body and less medicine. I’ve created a specific article on good and bad foods for dizziness.
Some specific chemical stressors to be aware of include:
- Reduce your alcohol intake
- Increase your water intake
- Avoid foods and drinks high in sugar
- Check your medication labels to see if dizziness is listed as a side effect
3. Emotional stressors
Emotional stress is related to the relationships you have with people, how you manage relationships and emotions, and life events that affect you mentally. This is a more complex topic with many moving parts.
If you are experiencing this type of stress, there are a number of things you can do to reduce it:
- Take deep breaths
- Meditate
- Do breathing exercises
- Seek therapy
Emotional health can have a huge impact on your physical health, and staying healthy is just as important.
