Head
Dizziness
A broad term covering a spinning sensation (vertigo), feeling faint or lightheaded, or feeling unsteady on your feet — most often caused by inner-ear problems, low blood pressure or anxiety, but occasionally a sign of a heart rhythm problem or a stroke.
Education and reference only. This explains the common causes of dizziness and the warning signs that need urgent help, in plain language — it is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a clinician. If you feel very unwell or are worried, seek medical help.
Quick answer
What is dizziness?
Dizziness means different things to different people, and pinning down what someone actually experiences is the key to finding the cause. True vertigo is an illusion of movement — the room spinning or tilting — and usually comes from the balance organs of the inner ear or the nerves connecting them to the brain.
- Get urgent help: Call 999 if dizziness comes with slurred speech, face drooping, arm weakness or sudden vision loss — signs of a stroke. Call 999 if dizziness comes with chest pain, a pounding or very slow heartbeat, or fainting.
- Self-care: If your dizziness has been assessed and has a benign cause such as an inner-ear problem, several measures help.
About dizziness
Dizziness means different things to different people, and pinning down what someone actually experiences is the key to finding the cause. True vertigo is an illusion of movement — the room spinning or tilting — and usually comes from the balance organs of the inner ear or the nerves connecting them to the brain. Lightheadedness or feeling faint suggests the brain is briefly short of blood or oxygen, as happens with low blood pressure, dehydration, an irregular heartbeat or standing up too quickly. A vague unsteadiness, especially in older people, often reflects a mix of factors including vision, joints, medication and balance. Most dizziness is benign and settles, but the warning combinations are dizziness with stroke signs such as slurred speech or one-sided weakness, dizziness with a racing or very slow pulse and chest pain, or dizziness after a head injury — all of which need urgent assessment.
When to get help
Call 999 or go to A&E if dizziness comes with any of these warning signs:
- Call 999 if dizziness comes with slurred speech, face drooping, arm weakness or sudden vision loss — signs of a stroke.
- Call 999 if dizziness comes with chest pain, a pounding or very slow heartbeat, or fainting.
- Seek urgent help for sudden dizziness with a severe headache, double vision, difficulty walking or numbness on one side.
- Seek urgent help for dizziness after a head injury, or with new deafness or ringing in one ear.
- Seek prompt help if you keep fainting or nearly fainting, or if dizziness causes a fall and injury.
When to see a doctor
Dizziness with stroke signs, chest pain, an abnormal heartbeat or fainting is an emergency — call 999. Seek urgent assessment for sudden severe dizziness with neurological symptoms or after a head injury. Make a routine appointment if dizziness keeps recurring, is interfering with daily life, comes with hearing changes, or you suspect a medication may be responsible, as the cause can usually be identified and treated. Older people with persistent unsteadiness should be reviewed because of the risk of falls.
Not sure how urgent it is? It is always OK to call NHS 111 for advice, day or night.
What can cause it
Common causes of dizziness
Dizziness has many possible causes. Each links to a full, plain-language guide to that condition — what it is, how it's treated and when to seek help.
What helps
Self-care and what you can do
If your dizziness has been assessed and has a benign cause such as an inner-ear problem, several measures help. Move slowly and deliberately, particularly when getting up from lying or sitting, and pause until any wave of dizziness passes before walking. Stay well hydrated and avoid skipping meals, as dehydration and low blood sugar make lightheadedness worse. Reduce alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate balance symptoms. For inner-ear vertigo, your clinician may teach specific head and body movement exercises that retrain your balance — doing these regularly often speeds recovery. Make your home safer by clearing trip hazards and using good lighting while your balance settles.
Answers
Dizziness: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between vertigo and feeling faint?
Vertigo is a false sense of movement — the room spinning — and usually comes from the inner ear. Feeling faint or lightheaded suggests the brain is briefly short of blood, as with low blood pressure or a heart rhythm problem. Describing which you feel helps find the cause.
When is dizziness a sign of a stroke?
Treat dizziness as an emergency and call 999 if it comes with slurred speech, a drooping face, weakness or numbness on one side, double vision, or sudden difficulty walking or coordinating.
Why do I feel dizzy when I stand up?
Brief dizziness on standing often comes from blood pressure dropping momentarily, sometimes worsened by dehydration, hot weather or certain medicines. Standing up slowly helps; if it happens often or causes fainting, get it checked.
Can anxiety make me feel dizzy?
Yes. Anxiety and rapid over-breathing commonly cause a floaty, lightheaded, off-balance feeling. This should only be accepted as the cause once heart, inner-ear and other physical causes have been considered.
Sources
Where this is drawn from
- NICE CKS: Vertigo.
- Brain & Spine Foundation: dizziness and balance.
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