Contents
Dizziness (vertigo) is not a disease, but only a symptom. Just like a cough is just a symptom of a cold or other disease.
Through dizziness, our body sends us an alarm signal, meaning that not everything is in order with our sense of balance.
With a mild passing form of dizziness, for example in an elevator, or when reading in a car, the cause of the latter is a different perception of incoming information by the senses. Our body records movement, but our eyes do not see or perceive changes.
Almost every day we experience situations in which dizziness can occur naturally, however, we do not attach much importance to it, since it is a harmless and passing moment.
Dizziness in the car
Imagine that you are driving in a car as a passenger, while you are looking at a map or reading a book, the interior of the car and the text of the book are visually motionless for you. However, your vestibular system and deep muscle and joint perception send information to your brain about movement. It is these conflicting sensations that lead to dizziness and nausea.
Dizziness in the elevator
When using an elevator, the picture is a little different; we have a feeling of falling or, conversely, taking off. Through deep muscle perception, we sense changes in pressure, which directly sends information about movement to our brain. Our visual perception does not notice any changes. Our eyes fixate the elevator cabin, which is motionless in relation to us. These differences in information signals lead to short-term dizziness.
Dizziness on the train
But here we are sitting in a stationary train at the station, and on the next platform another train begins to move, while our eyes send a signal to the brain about movement. On the contrary, our vestibular apparatus and deep bodily perception do not record any changes. Once again, our brain receives conflicting information about movement and, by the same principle, this leads to discomfort and dizziness.
Dizziness on the ship
Typical motion sickness is also based on a different perception of movement by our senses. The organ of vision does not notice any movement, since we are inside the ship. Our vestibular apparatus, our muscles and joints, on the contrary, record the strong rocking of the ship. Again, due to the antagonistic information about the state of rest and movement, we feel dizzy with nausea, which often ends in vomiting.
Along with the bodily form of dizziness, which makes us confused for a short time, there is also a mental form of dizziness in our daily life, which in principle is also a harmless and short-term phenomenon.
Psychogenic dizziness
Now imagine a situation where you are standing in front of an office where they are taking an exam that is important to you, or imagine that you are going to an important interview, and you are very tense and extremely excited. This state of nervousness can also lead to dizziness and nausea.
Dizziness due to grief
After a painful breakup or loss of a loved one, most people feel very depressed and withdraw from society for some time. At the same time, the feeling of grief is often accompanied by loss of appetite and lack of sleep. This often leads to numbness of consciousness. Suffering people experience a loss of mental balance, which may be accompanied by dizziness.
Dizziness in shock
When, for example, we unexpectedly receive extremely unpleasant news, it can throw us off balance. Our legs become weak, we need to lean on something or sit down. This form of dizziness goes away very quickly.
We told you about harmless physiological types of dizziness that are not a symptom of a serious illness.
However, the occurrence of dizziness can often be a sign of ill health, so, most often, pathological dizziness can be a sign of increased blood pressure, impaired blood supply to the brain, pathology of the inner ear or Eustachian tube.
The first specialists you should contact if dizziness occurs, after ruling out such a common cause as increased blood pressure, are a neurologist and an ENT specialist (otolaryngologist). In our clinic, you can make an appointment with them by phone, choosing a time convenient for you: +7 (495) 120 01 07 or through the form on the website.