Lightheadedness is often caused by a lack of blood in the brain. It can happen when you stand up from sitting or from lying down, or if you are dehydrated. Sometimes people feel lightheaded when they have vertigo , a sense that the room is spinning. This is normally caused by a condition in the inner ear. You should also seek help if your lightheadness causes you to injure yourself. Call an ambulance on triple zero and ask for an ambulance if you are very lightheaded and you also:.
Use our Question Builder for general tips on what to ask your GP or specialist. You will usually feel better if you have a drink of water, eat something sugary and lie down. If they go to hospital, some people will need to take in fluids through an intravenous drip.
Cut back on caffeine, alcohol, salt and smoking since these can increase your chance of getting lightheadedness. Eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and avoiding stress can also help. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content. Find out about the causes, symptoms and treatment for pernicious anaemia, also called vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia. Read more on myDr website. This can create a drop in blood pressure that makes you feel faint.
You are more likely to experience this condition if you are dehydrated due to illness or insufficient fluid intake. The sensation may improve when you sit or lie back down. Lightheadedness may be accompanied by nausea and dizziness. Dizziness is the feeling of being unbalanced or unsteady. According to Cleveland Clinic , 4 out of 10 people have experienced dizziness severe enough to send them to a doctor.
Dizziness can be dangerous because it changes your sense of balance and can make you more likely to fall. One type of dizziness, called vertigo , causes the false sense that your surroundings are moving or spinning when in reality they are still. Vertigo may cause you to feel like you are floating, tilting, swaying, or whirling.
Seek immediate medical attention if you have lost a significant amount of blood and are feeling lightheaded. Also, lightheadedness accompanied by heart attack or stroke symptoms should be immediately treated. These symptoms include:.
Do not attempt to drive yourself to the hospital if you experience these symptoms. Instead, call an ambulance. If your lightheadedness persists after a week or so or has resulted in an injury or nausea, see your physician. Vertigo is an inner ear imbalance which makes you feel like the room is spinning, or you think you are doing the spinning.
In either case you feel dizzy, and it seems to become worse when you move you head. It is also known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPN. BPPN is triggered by sudden movements of the head, and is often caused by a head injury, getting older, a tumor, or side effects from an antibiotic.
Those who have frequent migraines can also be prone to episodes of vertigo. It is best to have symptoms checked by a specialist like Weirton Medical Center to determine their underlying cause. Treating the underlying condition can relieve dizziness.
But don't ignore bouts of dizziness, warns Dr. It's a real problem, particularly in the elderly, and in many cases, it can be prevented," he says. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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