Dizziness and migraine – What disease is behind it?

Definition – What is dizziness with migraine?

Dizziness with migraine, often called vestibular migraine, refers to the occurrence of dizzy spells, which can be temporally related to a migraine attack. This means that the dizziness can occur before, during and after the migraine attack. However, it also happens again and again that the dizziness occurs independently of the migraine pain.

It is also possible that not every migraine attack is accompanied by an attack of dizziness. Dizziness can take on different forms, which often makes it difficult to diagnose vertigo with migraine. Depending on the length of the migraine attack, the dizziness may last for a few hours, but it can also persist beyond the migraine attack for up to several days.

Causes

The cause of dizziness and migraine as such has not yet been clarified. There are, however, various theories and factors that presumably lead to dizziness and migraine in combination. The occurrence of dizziness is probably due to a temporary disturbance of the blood flow to the vestibular organ in the inner ear.

The migraine is probably caused by a spreading change in the conductivity of the nerve cells. This conductivity is important so that information can be transferred between cells. The triggers for this circulatory disorder and change in conductivity are very diverse.

  • One of the most common triggers is stress, as it leads to a heavy strain on the body. If dizziness occurs together with stress, migraines can also occur quickly.
  • Sleep deprivation also causes changes in many of the body’s cycles, which can cause dizziness and fatigue that can lead to migraines.
  • A change in the weather as a trigger is also typical for many affected people. However, it is not yet clear how exactly this is connected.
  • Hormone fluctuations are also a possibility
  • But also certain luxury foods, such as red wine or cheese, are possible as triggers – or dizziness after eating