Lightheadedness is when you feel like fainting or about to pass out. Some people call it feeling woozy. Lightheadedness is related to dizziness. Dizziness is, when you feel unsteady or are having trouble keeping your balance.
Causes of lightheadedness may be dehydration, medication side effects, sudden blood pressure drops, low blood sugar, and heart disease or stroke. Feeling woozy, lightheaded, or a little faint is a common complaint among older adults.
Generally, see your doctor if you experience any recurrent, sudden, severe, or prolonged and unexplained dizziness or vertigo. Get emergency medical care if you experience new, severe dizziness or vertigo along with any of the following: Sudden, severe headache. Chest pain.
Light-headedness is a feeling that you are about to faint or "pass out." Although you may feel dizzy, you do not feel as though you or your surroundings are moving. Light-headedness often goes away or improves when you lie down.
“Red flag” symptoms should alert you to a non-vestibular cause: persistent, worsening vertigo or dysequilibrium; atypical “non-peripheral” vertigo, such as vertical movement; severe headache, especially early in the morning; diplopia; cranial nerve palsies; dysarthria, ataxia, or other cerebellar signs; and ...
In most cases, dizziness associated with heart problems is accompanied by other symptoms. These may include shortness of breath, swollen extremities, frequent fatigue or chest pain. In the event heart disease is suspected, you will undergo one or more tests to get to the root of your problem.
Vertigo in Seniors
The most common cause of dizziness in the elderly actually affects a significant portion of younger adults as well. The phenomenon is known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. BPPV is caused when the tiny crystals in your inner ear are dislodged from their usual position.
In some cases, people with high blood pressure may have a pounding feeling in their head or chest, a feeling of lightheadedness or dizziness, or other signs. Without symptoms, people with high blood pressure may go years without knowing they have the condition.
stress or anxiety – particularly if you tend to hyperventilate (breathe abnormally quickly when resting) low blood sugar level (hypoglycaemia) – which is usually seen in people with diabetes. postural hypotension – a sudden fall in blood pressure when you suddenly sit or stand up, which goes away after lying down.
Your fight or flight instinct kicks in – your fight or flight instinct is often triggered when you feel anxious, as your body prepares for the dangers that you believe are ahead of you. This can lead to a rush of adrenaline, leaving you feeling dizzy and/or lightheaded.
Your doctor may prescribe drugs to provide immediate relief from vertigo, dizziness and nausea, including prescription antihistamines and anticholinergics. Many of these drugs cause drowsiness. Anti-anxiety medications.
In general, if dizziness lasts longer than a few days, or is severe enough to keep you from normal activities, you should talk with your doctor. Depending on the cause, there are medications and physical therapy options that may give you some relief.
During the stress response, the brain releases hormones that affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. These hormones narrow the blood vessels, raise the heart rate, and cause rapid, shallow breathing. These responses can lead to dizziness or lightheadedness.
It can result from something as simple as motion sickness — the queasy feeling that you get on hairpin roads and roller coasters. Or it can be caused by an inner ear disturbance, infection, reduced blood flow due to blocked arteries or heart disease, medication side effects, anxiety, or another condition.
The most common low blood pressure symptoms happen because your brain isn't getting enough blood flow. These include: Dizziness or feeling lightheaded. Fainting or passing out (syncope).
Do you feel like you're swaying, spinning, tilting, or generally off balance? You could be suffering from vertigo. Vertigo most often the result of a problem with your inner ear.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an “older adult” as someone who is at least 60 years old. Many states may also have different definitions of “elderly” when determining what resources are available in cases of elder abuse, although most states commonly use 65 years of age as the cut-off.
Warning signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, and others.
Additional symptoms of a clogged artery may include: Dizziness or weakness. Heart palpitations, or sensations of your heart racing or fluttering. Nausea or sweating.
It's the leading cause of stroke. Carotid artery disease limits the amount of blood and oxygen that reaches your brain, which can cause vertigo or dizziness. Carotid artery disease may not exhibit any symptoms before causing ischemia or a full-blown stroke.
Central Vertigo – This is Serious!
The first and foremost danger of leaving your dizziness untreated is that you could be experiencing dysfunction in your central nervous system. In other words, something could be wrong with your heart or brain – specifically your brainstem and/or cerebellum.
If you have been experiencing vertigo for more than a day or two, it's so severe that you can't stand or walk, or you are vomiting frequently and can't keep food down, you should make an appointment with a neurologist.
Dizziness usually goes away on its own. But there are things you can do to take care of yourself while you're feeling dizzy.