Sinus Infection and Dizziness

The sinuses are interconnected cavities in our facial structure. There are four pairs of sinuses viz maxillary, frontal, ethmoid and sphenoid which are lined, on the inside, with a protective mucus membrane. When the performance of your immune system is lowered, the situation is ripe for a viral invasion. Such is the case with a sinus infection. Sinus infection and dizziness doesn't always go hand in hand. However, chronic sinus infection can lead to spells of sinus infection dizziness which can put you to bed and interrupt your normal routine.

Sinus Infection Dizziness
Before getting deep into how sinus infection and dizziness are related, it may be beneficial to understand how we maintain our balance. Your balance depends on the proper functioning of the vestibular labyrinth, which is a part of the inner ear and is also referred to as the organ of balance. It includes the semicircular canals containing fluid and hair-like sensors that keep track of your head's movements. The utricle and saccule, situated near the semicircular canals, contain particles called otoconia which are attached to the sensors that help register gravity and motion. The information from the vestibular labyrinth, utricle and saccule is passed on to the brain.

The organs such as your nose, nasal cavity, larynx, pharynx (throat), trachea and some of the sinuses collectively form the upper respiratory tract. The fluids (mucus secreted by the cells of the mucus lining) from the middle and inner ear are drained into the throat with the help of the Eustachian tube. The eustachian tube, the middle ear and the upper respiratory tract are lined by a continuous layer of mucus.

A respiratory tract infection such as a sinus infection, in which bacteria or viruses attach themselves to the mucus lining of the sinuses, may spread up to the eustachian tube and may block it easily. This results in a ear infection and the accumulation of mucus in the middle ear and the build up of pressure on the ear drum and the inner ear. This upsets the fine tuning of the vestibular labyrinth on which the brain depends in order to maintain our body's balance.

The increase in the fluid pressure in the inner ear distorts the information that is passed on to the brain and induces the feeling vomiting, nausea and sinus infection dizziness. Sometimes, this situation is also referred to as sinus pressure and dizziness. The relationship between an ear infection and sinusitis corresponds to the dizziness associated with the sinus infection in full.

Sinus Infections Signs and Symptoms
Generally, the sinus infection which is also referred to as sinusitis, is caused by the common cold virus, bacteria, fungi and allergic rhinitis. Air pollutants, pollen, extreme climatic conditions and changes may aggravate a sinus problem leading to a sinus infection. The following brief note presents information in sinus infection signs and symptoms.

The viral growth on the mucus membrane may lead to the congestion and the blockage of the nasal passage which is important for the draining and ventilation of the sinuses, and could lead to a sinus infection related dizziness. Sinus infections of viral or bacterial origin can be infectious. However, sinus infections caused because of allergies are non-infectious. For more information, you can also refer to: Sinus infection treatment.

I am sure, you have experienced the most common symptom of sinus infection i.e. a stuffy nose. A sinus headache and the pressure around the face are also commonly experienced symptoms. Thick nasal discharge, yellow or greenish in color accompanied with bad breath, cough and fever are also sinus infection symptoms.

On the basis of the duration of the sinus Infection, we can classify it as acute, sub-acute or chronic sinusitis. You may recover from a sudden (acute) sinusitis attack in less than 4 weeks, a sub-acute condition may bother you for about 4-6 weeks, whereas a chronic sinus infection may last for at least 12 weeks.

For more information, refer to:

• Sinusitis: is sinus infection contagious
• Sinusitis: Sinus infection symptoms and treatment

The sinus infection and dizziness that follows it, must be taken seriously because there is loss of balance which could lead to an accident. It is important to identify the sign and symptoms of a sinus infection and treat it in its early stages. If it is of bacterial origin, you can successfully do so with the help of antibiotics for sinus infection. However, if it is of viral origin, you may have to weather it out, which may take a long time. In the art of youga, a particular exercise known as the Jal neti or Nasal irrigation is a practice that can help you in maintaining nasal and sinus hygiene. The best strategy is to prevent a sinus infection and dizziness, altogether, by maintaining your physical fitness, eating good food and taking care while dealing with people having sinus infection.