There is nothing scarier than feeling sick and having no idea why. So many medical problems have overlapping symptoms, and you always assume the worst. Dizziness is a common symptom that could mean so many different things. It is the second most common complaint heard by doctors, and will occur in 70% of the U.S. population at sometime in their lives.
15 Potential Causes of Dizziness
- Low blood sugar: Often occurs in patients with diabetes, the chronic disease that affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar.
- Labyrinthitis: Labyrinthitis is an inner ear disorder.
- Low blood pressure: Also known as hypotension, low blood pressure may lead to fatigue and dizziness, and can be a symptom of a more serious condition.
- Hyperventilation: You may start to feel dizzy if you are breathing too quickly, exhaling more than you are inhaling.
- Dehydration: Dehydration occurs when your body loses more fluid than you drink, and may cause dizziness.
- Motion sickness: Dizziness along with nausea, upset stomach, and cold sweats occur during motion sickness.
- Overexposure to heat: Heat emergencies occur in three stages: heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.
- Beriberi: Beriberi is a vitamin B1 deficiency. Vitamin B1 can be found in milk, beans, vegetables, meat, and whole grains.
- Middle ear infection: This occurs when a virus or bacteria causes inflamation of the area behind the eardrum.
- Cold and flu: These common airborne illnesses often cause dizziness.
- Too much caffeine: Ingesting too much caffeine (over 400 mg per day) can cause dizziness.
- Hunger: Without sufficient calorie intake, one can be overcome by dizziness.
- Carbon Monoxide poisoning: This is considered a serious medical emergency. Urgent care is required.
- Toxic shock syndrome: Toxic shock is a serious condition caused by a bacterial infection.
- Acoustic Neuroma: This is a benign tumor that grows on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain.
Dizziness occurs in more than just the above 15 cases, some being far more serious than others. It has been estimated that 65% of people over the age of 60 experience dizziness or loss of balance on a daily basis.
If you are experiencing dizziness, and additional factors are causing you to be concerned that something more serious is going on, go straight to a walk in clinic or urgent care facility. As many as 85% of walk in clinics are open seven days a week.
