The causes

Vertigo attacks can have several different causes. One possible cause can be an increase in pressure in the inner ear. This disease of the inner ear is called Menière’s disease.

The inner ear accumulates an increased amount of fluid, the so-called endolymph, which causes the dizziness due to the changed pressure conditions in the organ of equilibrium. Why the endolymph accumulates is not yet known exactly. In younger patients, dizziness often occurs in connection with a migraine attack.

In these cases, the migraine is called vestibular migraine. It begins with sudden onset of dizziness, accompanied by nausea and possibly vomiting. The symptoms last for a few minutes and then subside abruptly.

This is followed by the typical severe headaches. Migraine often manifests itself in different ways in those affected.Thus some patients have a “visible aura” shortly before the severe headaches, i.e. a flickering before the eyes, which virtually heralds the migraine attack. In other patients the dizziness occurs in a similar way.

In benign positional vertigo, the cause lies in the vestibular organ itself. The small stones in the ear, the crystals known as otoliths, are normally connected to the vestibular cells via a so-called gelatinous dome. This is how the excitation of the sensory cells is controlled.

If the crystals come loose, they shift uncontrolled when the head is moved in the differently aligned archways. This stimulates the hair sense cells and sends information to specific regions in the brain. These excitations do not match the current situation, which eventually leads to dizziness and the other typical symptoms.

Dizziness attacks often occur in the context of multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a disease that particularly affects the central nervous system and is first manifested on the optic nerve. It is a chronic inflammatory disease in which the medullary sheaths (myelin sheaths) that surround the nerves are destroyed and degraded.

The nerves then lose their function and can no longer transmit information. In addition to many other symptoms, various forms of vertigo occur that are related to the disease. The disease progresses intermittently and more and more inflammatory foci develop over the course of the disease, which can lead to sensory and motor deficits throughout the body.

The dizziness is an accompanying symptom and can, on the one hand, occur permanently due to old foci and, on the other hand, as an acute dizziness attack, can be an indication of the development of a new focus of inflammation. In general, dizziness is permanent in most people with multiple sclerosis. It is no longer possible to distinguish exactly whether it is, for example, a case of rotational or positional vertigo.

The occurrence of vertigo can vary greatly in its intensity and regularity. Occupational or daily pressure and tension can not only affect the psyche, but also have effects on the body over a longer period of time. Many people experience stress on the stomach.

Dizziness can also be a widespread symptom of overwork. Dizziness attacks can then occur acutely in a stressful situation or even during rest periods. Especially the attacks at rest give an indication that the body is unbalanced and overloaded.

The dizziness should be perceived as an alarm signal. If the body reacts to stress with such symptoms, it is an indication that it needs rest and recuperation. It should be clarified whether there is an organic cause for the dizziness, otherwise appropriate measures against the stress can be taken.

The affected person should try to reduce the stress and allow himself sufficient rest periods. Sports, relaxation exercises and autogenic training can be helpful. Treating yourself to a massage or physiotherapy against muscle tension from time to time can improve the appearance of dizziness.

In extreme cases, psychotherapy may also be necessary. How can you reduce stress? dizziness can also be related to strokes.

They can occur in different ways. Sudden attacks of dizziness can also occur before a stroke and can therefore be an indication of a disturbance in the brain. They are often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

Those affected are usually so badly off that they can hardly stand or sit. In addition, there is an increased risk of falling due to a pronounced tendency to fall. Furthermore, dizziness can also occur permanently as a result of a stroke.

In this case, it is called central dizziness because the cause is in the brain, i.e. the central nervous system. Similar to a stroke, dizziness can also occur after other injuries to the brain, such as injuries to the brain stem. A woman’s body undergoes some hormonal changes during the menopause that the woman has to cope with.

The physical changes may cause some discomfort. For example, a dizzy spell may occur more frequently during the hormonal changes. These are usually harmless if they are certainly caused by the hormonal changes.

Dizziness attacks can be very unpleasant for the woman and are often accompanied by nausea and even vomiting. The dizziness attacks can be relieved with various drugs, including many herbal substances.The accompanying symptoms of nausea and vomiting can also be reduced with medication. In general, patients should still have their menopausal dizziness attacks examined by a doctor.

The dizziness can also occur for other reasons. In order to avoid later complications, such as permanent chronic dizziness or damage to the inner ear, an organic cause should be ruled out by appropriate examinations. Dizziness attacks can also be caused by the intake of various drugs.

Dizziness is particularly often caused by drugs that have an influence on the body’s circulatory system. These include, for example, drugs to lower blood pressure such as beta blockers and so-called ACE inhibitors (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors). If blood pressure is too low due to these drugs, dizzy spells can occur and the person affected usually has to sit down or even lie down until the blood pressure is regulated again.

Dizziness may also occur when lying down. Other medications that can cause dizziness are various antibiotics and very often painkillers. Some medications also act via the circulatory system, while other medications can affect various regulating ion channels in the inner ear.

If the symptoms are too severe, the patient should consult the treating physician. It may be necessary to change the medication. This is particularly advisable if the medication even has a damaging effect on the organ of balance.

Most patients feel an improvement in their symptoms the longer they take the medication. After a while, the body gets used to the active substance and adjusts its functions accordingly. Physical well-being and the psyche are closely related.

Therefore, psychological problems such as stress, private crises or overwork are often the cause of physical suffering. Dizzy spells can also be psychosomatically caused. Dizziness generally has an underlying organic cause, but psychological problems such as depression have a significant influence on its development and worsening.

The psyche can help to make the dizziness permanent. As a result, the patient’s condition can deteriorate, since the dizziness attacks are an additional problem in addition to the causal psychological stress. Most patients suffer not only from dizziness, but also from insecurity of walking and fear of falling.

Phobic dizziness very often occurs in connection with mental illness. A form of psychogenic vertigo attacks in which the affected persons suffer from anxiety disorders and depression. They also develop considerable fear of the next attack due to the stressful experience of a vertigo attack.

In these patients, the basic problems such as psychological overload or depression must be treated so that the dizziness symptoms also subside. The cervical spine (cervical spine) is an endangered part of the body in case of sudden strong changes of direction, because as a not very strong structure it has to compensate the movement of the relatively heavy head. This results in a strong tension of the neck muscles.

The muscles of the cervical spine are also often affected by tension in the back. These tensions are transferred directly to the head and can cause tension headaches as well as complaints such as dizziness and nausea. Sudden attacks of dizziness, which are caused by the cervical spine, are more likely to occur in acute stress situations of the cervical spine.

In addition to the musculature, the nerves that originate from the cervical spine can also cause dizziness if they malfunction. In addition, important vessels run along the cervical spine, which supply the brain with blood. If circulatory disorders occur in the cervical spine, this can lead to a reduced supply of blood to the brain and thus to dizziness caused by blood pressure.

Iron deficiency is most noticeable in the body through its important function in oxygen transport. Iron is needed to form the red blood pigment (hemoglobin). This molecule is located in the red blood cells (erythrocytes) and binds oxygen in the blood.

With the help of hemoglobin, oxygen can be transported from the lungs to the other organs of the body. If insufficient haemoglobin can be produced due to an iron deficiency, this leads to a reduced supply to the organs. The brain in particular is dependent on a constant supply of oxygen. In the case of an undersupply . In addition, an iron deficiency can also accelerate the pulse rate, as the body tries to maintain oxygen despite the deficiency.The increased pulse can in turn cause blood pressure fluctuations and thus sudden dizzy spells.