Dizziness: What to Do?

If you feel that your quality of life is impaired by the vertigo attacks or if you experience worrying accompanying symptoms in addition to the vertigo, you should consult your family doctor. The next step is to consult a neurologist or otolaryngologist, if needed, and finally a specialized vertigo center. “Dizziness is generally well treatable,” assures Strupp. “That’s why those affected should not be afraid to see a specialist.”

Facilitate diagnosis yourself

To make the diagnosis easier for the doctor, the expert recommends already thinking about the following aspects before visiting the doctor:

  • What kind of vertigo is it (spinning or swaying vertigo)?
  • Are there single attacks of vertigo or continuous vertigo?
  • Is the dizziness already noticeable at rest or only after changes in body position?
  • Do accompanying symptoms such as ringing in the ears, hearing loss or headaches occur in addition to the dizziness?

The treatment of vertigo is always based on the underlying cause. After this should be thoroughly researched to improve the quality of life of the patient in the long term. For short-term treatment of vertigo attacks, so-called antivertiginosa can be taken to relieve the feeling of dizziness.

Dizzy all the time – what to do?

Some people get dizzy again and again in the same situations. We have selected three typical situations for you in which dizziness occurs more frequently. Prof. Dr. Michael Strupp explains what the discomfort in the specific situations may be due to:

  • Dizziness in the morning when getting up
    Strupp: “If the dizziness occurs in the morning when getting up and turning over in bed, a benign positional vertigo is probably the cause. This can be treated very well, so you should definitely see a doctor if the symptoms persist.”
  • Dizziness when bending
    Strupp: “If the dizziness occurs when bending down, it must be distinguished whether it actually occurs when bending down or when going up. If the dizziness makes itself felt when bending over, a benign positional vertigo is probably behind the complaints here as well. If, on the other hand, you feel dizzy when standing up from a squatting position, problems with blood pressure may be responsible for the symptoms. In older patients, a failure of both organs of balance is also conceivable as a cause.”
  • Dizziness while driving a car/boat.
    Strupp: “In motion sickness, the dizziness is caused by the fact that different information is transmitted to our brain via the various sensory organs. To avoid discomfort, one should not focus on anything static inside the vehicle while driving, for example. It is better to drive along quasi actively, even as a passenger.”