How to deal with dizziness

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Dizziness involves a range of sensations such as feeling faint, woozy, unsteady and weak. Dizziness makes a false sensation that the surroundings are spinning or moving which is also called vertigo.

Symptoms of dizziness

  • A feeling similar to floating, wooziness or heavy-headedness
  • A false sense of motion or spinning or vertigo
  • Loss of balance or unsteadiness
  • Lightheadedness or feeling faint
  • This sensation becomes worse by walking, moving the head or standing up.
  • Nausea

If experiencing seizures, fainting, a stiff neck, ongoing vomiting, a severe headache, high fever, difficulty in walking, changes in speech, hearing and vision and shortness of breath, seek medical help immediately.

Dizziness
Lightheadedness or feeling faint

Causes

  • Dizziness can be caused by motion sickness and side effects of some medications.
  • Inner ear disturbances
  • Poor blood circulation or low blood pressure
  • Infection
  • Injury
  • Overheating or hyperthermia such as being active in hot weather and not drinking enough fluids.

Treatment

  • Sit or lie down immediately if there is feeling dizziness or lightheadedness to relieve the spinning sensation and risk for falls.
  • If sitting, put the head between the legs to increase the flow of blood to the brain. Remain seated for at least 1-2 minutes until dizziness disappears.
  • Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water every day to prevent dehydration. If there is difficulty in drinking water, drink energy or sports drinks since the electrolytes rehydrates the body fast than the water and increase the consumption of salt.
  • Eat something sweet when suffering from low blood sugar level to prevent dizziness. When there is dizziness, eat snacks such as those high in carbohydrate or sugar. In addition, chocolate or a banana are also suitable options.
  • Take a deep breath slowly and deeply to calm down and minimize feelings of dizziness.
  • Avoid exposure to bright light or lights coming from a television or laptop to prevent feelings of disorientation and making the condition worse. Another way is sit or lie down in a dark room and close the eyes for 1-2 minutes.
  • Take plenty of rest especially when suffering from viral illnesses and for fast healing as well as minimizing the dizziness.
  • Take the prescribed motion sickness medications to relieve the symptoms of dizziness due to vertigo.
  • Chew raw ginger or make a tea using ginger. Ginger increases circulation of blood throughout the body.
  • Perform simple exercises to lessen the symptoms of dizziness. Stand straight and move the neck in both directions such as in clockwise and counter clockwise. Another way is by standing and concentrate at a fixed point and blink the eyes to arouse the nervous system and minimize dizziness and fatigue.
  • Increase the intake of foods rich in iron to overcome problems of anemia and lessen the risk of dizziness. Another alternative is take iron supplements.

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