Dizzy Spells Symptoms

A feeling of everything spinning around for a moment is how most people describe their dizziness experience. Feeling lightheaded and dizzy at times may be just a momentary feeling that passes away with a little rest, or could be an indication of an onset of serious illness. If one is experiencing dizzy spells, it would be best to make a note about its occurrence; time, duration and after which activity. It would become easier for your doctor to understand its symptoms and prescribe diagnostic tests and treatment accordingly.

Dizzy Spells

Dizziness is a feeling that one experiences just before one is either about to faint or lose balance. Our sense of balance is controlled by the information processed by the brain after it receives inputs from eyes, inner ears and the nervous system. When this transmission does not occur smoothly, as is seen in inner ear dizziness, one experiences some disturbance and tends to lose balance. Feeling dizzy is a common complaint felt by people of all ages and gender. Dizzy spells can be roughly categorized into lightheadedness and vertigo. Lightheadedness is momentary and the condition improves upon lying down or sipping on some cooling beverage. Vertigo on the other hand is a fainting spell where one experiences spinning, whirling or falling, generally accompanied by feelings of nausea and/or vomiting.

Symptoms
Although there are many causes of this problem, symptoms are quite alike for all these causes. Symptoms include a slight ringing in the ears, blurred vision, severe headache, nausea and vomiting, severe and persistent dizzy spells and headaches combined, fainting, a drop in blood pressure, etc.

Causes
These spells are triggered by a momentary drop in blood pressure and blood flow to the brain. There are many causes of dizziness, and as to why we may experience lightheadedness or vertigo. Some of them have been listed below.

• Old Age
• Anxiety and stress
• Dehydration
• Allergies
• Pregnancy
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Very high fever
• Weakness and fatigue
• Viral infections that affect the air passages in the head or the inner ear.
• Over dosages of blood pressure medications
• Severe migraine
• Excessive smoking, drinking and intake of illegal drugs
• Substance withdrawal symptoms
• Carbon monoxide poisoning or exposure to gases
• Abnormal heart rhythms; cardiac arrhythmia
• Rapid breathing; hyperventilation
• Too much exposure to heat or humidity
• Bleeding; internal or external
• Bleeding in the digestive tract
• A extremely heavy and frequent menstrual bleeding
• Low blood sugar or high blood pressure
• Sudden jerky movement like getting up quickly from a seated or lying position; orthostatic hypotension
• Injury to the head
• Inner ear disorders; benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Ménière's disease, labyrinthitis, etc
• Visionary senses being impaired
• Cancerous growth behind the eardrum, or in the brain.

To find a cure for dizzy spells, the first thing that needs to be done is to understand its cause and identify the various symptoms. For this one needs to see the doctor who may run a few tests and then prescribe the course of treatment accordingly. Most doctors suggest adequate sleep and regular medical checkups to keep a watch on your blood sugar and blood pressure levels. For momentary spells, one may ensure an intake of adequate water, rise a little slowly in the morning, slow down physical exertion and to listen to our body.