Ever stood up and the room tilted for a second? That brief spin is dizziness, and almost everyone gets it sometimes. It can come from simple things like dehydration or from inner ear problems that make your balance go haywire. The good news: most causes are manageable if you know what to do next.
If you feel dizzy right now, stop what you’re doing and sit or lie down. Put your head between your knees if you can’t lie down—this helps if blood pressure dropped. Sip water slowly. Don’t drive or climb stairs until you feel steady. If the dizziness follows a change in position (like rolling over in bed), try the Epley maneuver once or twice—many people with benign positional vertigo get fast relief. If you’re unsure how to do that, wait and see a clinician rather than forcing it.
Check obvious triggers: did you skip meals, drink alcohol, take a new drug, or use more sedating meds than usual? Drugs such as gabapentin, some blood pressure medicines, sedatives and even certain antibiotics can cause lightheadedness. If a new pill coincides with your symptoms, keep the bottle and tell your doctor.
Try simple balance aids: walk with a steadying hand on a rail, use a cane if that helps, and avoid dim or crowded places until you improve. For recurring episodes, gentle head and eye exercises or vestibular rehab from a physiotherapist can rebuild balance over weeks.
Inner ear problems (vestibular neuritis, BPPV) make the world spin with head movement. Low blood pressure or dehydration cause lightheadedness when you stand. Low blood sugar can give a woozy, sweaty feeling. Anxiety can produce a sense of unreality and imbalance. Less often, strokes or heart rhythm problems cause dizziness—those usually have other signs like weakness, slurred speech, chest pain, or fainting.
Tests are simple: your doctor will check your heart, blood pressure lying and standing, ears, and a quick neurological exam. Sometimes they’ll order blood tests, an ECG, or a hearing test. Imaging like MRI is only needed when there are red flags.
Prevention is mostly common sense: stay hydrated, eat regular meals, stand up slowly, avoid sudden head turns, limit alcohol and sedatives, and review medications with your pharmacist or doctor. Compression stockings and small salt increases help some people with low blood pressure—ask before you try either.
When dizziness is sudden, very severe, or comes with fainting, chest pain, numbness, or trouble speaking, call emergency services. If it’s mild but ongoing for more than a couple of days, or it keeps coming back, make an appointment. A short checkup can stop things from getting worse and get you back to normal faster.
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