Dizziness is a term used to describe a feeling of imbalance, lightheadedness, or disorientation in space. It is not a specific disease but a symptom of many different conditions, ranging from benign to dangerous. Dizziness occurs when the brain receives inconsistent signals from the body’s position sensing systems, including the eyes, inner ear (vestibular system), and deep sensations in the muscles and joints.
Depending on the cause and the patient’s subjective feeling, dizziness can be divided into several common types as follows:
- Vertigo: This is a feeling that everything around is spinning, often accompanied by nausea and loss of balance. This type is often related to disorders of the vestibular system in the inner ear or brain.
- Lightheadedness: The patient feels light-headed, lightheaded, as if about to faint, but does not feel like spinning. This condition is often related to low blood pressure, dehydration, or hypoglycemia.
- Disequilibrium: A feeling of unsteadiness when walking, easily falling. The cause is often related to the central nervous system, musculoskeletal system or deep sensory disorders.
- Presyncope: A feeling of about to lose consciousness, darkening of the face, often seen in cardiovascular disorders, such as low blood pressure, arrhythmia or cerebral ischemia.
Not all dizziness is a serious problem. In many cases, a slight feeling of dizziness when standing up, or a transient dizziness when changing position suddenly, can be simply due to fatigue, insomnia, hunger or temporary changes in blood pressure. However, dizziness becomes abnormal when it occurs frequently, lasts unexpectedly, or is accompanied by other symptoms such as severe headache, loss of consciousness, difficulty speaking, weakness in the limbs, blurred vision, or an abnormally fast heartbeat. These are signs that dizziness is no longer a single symptom, but may be related to serious disorders in the nervous system, cardiovascular system, vestibular system or cerebral circulation. In addition, if you are dizzy to the point of being unable to sit up, unable to maintain balance, or severe nausea, this condition may be a sign of a dangerous disease.
Strategies for managing unusual dizziness
Here are 9 strategies that may help:
1. Lie still in a safe position as soon as dizziness occurs
When unusual dizziness begins, the first important thing is to sit or lie down immediately, preferably lying on one side, and keep your head still. Absolutely avoid trying to stand up or move because this can easily lead to falls and serious injuries. While lying down, try to keep your body still, breathe deeply and evenly to reduce the feeling of dizziness.
2. Do not move suddenly or change position quickly
One of the common causes of dizziness is changing position suddenly. Standing up too quickly, turning your head sharply or bending over suddenly can all reduce blood flow to the brain, causing a stronger feeling of dizziness. If you must move, do it slowly, hold on to a fixed object and have someone accompany you if possible.
3. Ensure adequate oxygen and fresh air supply
During dizziness, the brain may temporarily lack oxygen. Therefore, loosen your collar, open the door, turn off the fan or air conditioner if it causes discomfort, to ensure better air circulation. If you are in a stuffy or crowded place, you should find a way to move to a more open area to breathe easier and stabilize your heart rate and blood pressure.
4. Avoid all factors that aggravate dizziness
Bright light, loud sounds, strong scents or an overly hot environment can make dizziness worse. Therefore, if you are experiencing dizziness, turn off the lights, reduce the sound, avoid looking at the phone or TV screen, and rest in the quietest, most soothing environment possible.
5. Supplement water or sugar if hypoglycemia is suspected
If dizziness occurs after fasting, overexertion or heavy sweating, you are likely to have hypoglycemia or mild dehydration. In case you do not feel nauseous, try drinking sips of warm water or sipping some sugar water or diluted salt water to improve the condition. However, do not drink too quickly or too much at once, as it can easily cause vomiting.
6. Observe the accompanying signs carefully to decide whether to seek emergency help
Transient dizziness can recover on its own, but if it is accompanied by unusual signs such as slurred speech, facial distortion, paralysis of the limbs, loss of consciousness, uncontrolled vomiting or severe headache, you need to consider it an emergency. Call an ambulance immediately, as it is related to diseases such as stroke or myocardial infarction.
7. Absolutely do not drive, climb stairs or bathe when dizzy
Many people are subjective and continue to drive, climb stairs or bathe when they feel slightly dizzy. This is an extremely dangerous action, because just one second of losing balance can result in a collision, a serious fall, or a serious accident. Wait until your body is completely stable before continuing any activity.
8. Remember the circumstances, time and feeling when dizziness occurs
Remembering the exact time of occurrence, the situation that is happening, the location of the pain, vision, cardiovascular system, whether there is nausea or not will help the doctor diagnose the cause faster. You can write it down in your health notebook, or clearly inform your relatives if you need emergency care. This information is very valuable in distinguishing dizziness due to vestibular, cardiovascular, neurological or metabolic causes.
9. See a doctor if dizziness recurs many times
Although the initial dizziness is not dangerous, if this condition occurs repeatedly, affecting your daily activities, spirit and quality of life, you should see a specialist. You may have a vestibular disorder, cerebral circulatory insufficiency, underlying cardiovascular disease or metabolic disorder that requires long-term treatment.
