Dizziness and balance problems are common in older people. They are serious and get worse as you get older.
Common Causes of Dizziness and Balance Problems in Older Adults
Here are the 10 most common causes:
1. Low blood pressure
If you feel dizzy when you stand up and it takes a while to regain your balance, it may be because your blood pressure drops when you stand up. This is called orthostatic hypotension. It can happen to anyone at any age, but it is more common in older people and people who are taking blood pressure medications.
2. Medications
Obviously, blood pressure medications can be a problem, but there are many other medications that can cause dizziness as a side effect. This is especially true if the medication affects your heart rate. Dizziness can also be caused by medications interacting in the body, even if they can be taken together, mixing those ingredients in the body can lead to side effects specific to that combination of medications.
3. Cardiovascular problems
Problems with heart rhythm, blood flow, arrhythmia, heart disease, and other conditions that affect the heart can lead to problems with blood getting where it needs to go and can lead to dizziness or feeling faint.
4. Stroke
While it may seem obvious that a major stroke can lead to dizziness and many other related problems, even smaller strokes that you barely notice can lead to temporary balance problems.
5. Inner ear problems
Anything that affects the ear can affect your balance. These problems can be simple and very easy to treat, such as an ear infection. But other problems can be more complicated, such as Meniere’s disease, vestibular neuritis, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, also known as BPPV.
6. Dehydration
As we age, we start to lose our sense of thirst. It’s one of many possible causes of dehydration in older adults. Dehydration can make you feel pretty bad and can affect every part of your body.
7. Anxiety
At first glance, you might think that anxiety is “just in your head.” But the truth is that anxiety can be accompanied by a fight-or-flight response as well as other physical effects, leading to an increased heart rate and a host of other problems, including dizziness or even lightheadedness.
8. Neurological conditions
Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and dementia can wreak havoc on the body and brain in a variety of ways. Although these conditions have a typical progression, they can affect each person in different ways. Dizziness and other balance problems can accompany any of these conditions and others that affect the brain.
9. Anemia
If your blood iron levels are too low, you may experience a variety of problems, including dizziness, feeling lightheaded, and extreme fatigue. Any of these problems significantly increase your risk of falling.
10. Vision Problems
Eye problems can lead to headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, and even nausea. And of course, vision problems are more likely to lead to balance problems and falls. warning signs of dizziness in older adults
Treating dizziness and balance problems
Here are some ways that may help:
- Change your medication: If you are taking a medication that can cause dizziness, your doctor may be able to find another medication that treats the same type of medication without the unpleasant side effects. Some medications, such as anti-nausea medications, can actually help relieve dizziness.
- Exercises to improve balance: Your doctor may suggest exercises such as stretching, tai chi, resistance bands, and other exercises that help improve your balance. The stronger you are, the less likely you are to fall, even if you are dizzy.
- Change your diet: If you are anemic, you may be asked to add more iron to your diet. If you have diabetes, you may be tasked with better controlling your blood sugar through eating the right foods. If you have a general weakness, your doctor may refer you to a dietitian who can tailor a diet to your needs.
- Repositioning maneuvers: This is a type of physical therapy that can treat vestibular problems, especially BPPV. The idea is to move the small crystals that naturally form in the inner ear back into their original position, which can relieve dizziness and balance problems almost immediately.
- Rehabilitation therapy: This is physical therapy that focuses specifically on reducing dizziness, improving balance, and thus helping you perform daily activities without being affected by these conditions. Rather than aiming to help you overcome the problems, this type of physical therapy aims to help you learn to live with them in a productive way.
