Have you ever gotten seasick while on the land? Maybe you’ve suffered “the spins,” felt the room circling, or gotten very, very dizzy? In these cases, you got vertigo, that horrible dizzy feeling when the world is spinning.
So, what’s so bad about vertigo? We’ve all gotten dizzy before and survived. While occasional dizziness can ruin your day, chronic vertigo can be dangerous or deplete your quality of life. It may also be a sign of something deeper. In these case, when should you seek help, and how can you find relief?
Is Dizziness Dangerous?
The dangers of dizziness are well known. The loss of balance increases your risk of falling. The dizziness can cause you to feel ill or, when bad enough, leave you bed-bound. These are especially dangerous to seniors, where a fall can be fatal and being bedridden can lead to social isolation or worse. Even if you don’t experience chronic vertigo, dizziness can cause you to miss out or just make your day miserable.
Luckily, if you do experience dizzy spells regularly, there are precautions you can take. You can make your home safer by adding handlebars near your bathtub or toilet. Non-slip mats in the kitchen or near doorways can save you from a nasty fall. Keeping your house clean and dry eliminates most fall hazards.
Dizziness and Vertigo: The Differences
While the two are often used interchangeably, there is a slight difference between dizziness and vertigo. Dizziness is the catch-all term for the feeling caused by anything from motion sickness to hangovers. Vertigo is a type of dizziness where you feel motion when there is no motion.
This may manifest as the world spinning around you or feeling like you’re tilting. It is also one of the most common forms of dizziness. Other types of dizziness include presyncope (feeling lightheaded), disequilibrium (feeling off-balance), or non-specific dizziness (feeling funny).
What are the Causes?
There are many conditions that can cause both short- and long-term vertigo. Generally, these are problems with your inner ear, which moderates balance and stability. The most common temporary causes of vertigo are migraines and medication. Once the causes are gone, the spinning should go too.
If the condition sticks around, you may have an underlying issue causing it. BPPV or Meniere’s disease are common causes of long-term vertigo. Vertigo can also be an early sign of multiple sclerosis. Ultimately, if you experience dizziness long-term, you should visit your doctor to discover what could be causing it.
Living in a Spinning World
There are many ways to treat vertigo, and the condition will often go away on its own. Sometimes, you can even treat your dizziness yourself. There are several exercises you can try yourself or simply lying down in a propped-up position.
In more serious cases, special treatment may be necessary. Your options would be vestibular rehabilitation or surgery. Medications are also available to treat dizziness symptoms. If your vertigo requires any treatment, talk to your doctor to see which is best for you.
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While vertigo can be common and often harmless, it can also become incapacitating. When it becomes a long-term concern or occurs with other conditions, it can diminish your quality of life. Knowing the causes and dangers, and when to seek treatment, can set you free from the dizzying symptoms of this condition.
Further Reading
Verywell — Uncommon Causes of Chronic Dizziness
WebMD — New Clues to Chronic Dizziness
