Dizziness is a term that people use to describe a range of sensations, such as feeling faint, woozy, weak or wobbly. The sense that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving is more precisely termed vertigo.

Dizziness is one of the more common reasons adults see a healthcare professional. Frequent dizzy spells or constant dizziness can have serious effects on your life. But dizziness rarely means that you have a life-threatening condition.

Treatment of dizziness depends on the cause and your symptoms. Treatment often helps, but the symptoms may come back.

People who have bouts of dizziness may describe symptoms such as:

These feelings may be triggered or made worse by walking, standing up or moving your head. Your dizziness may happen along with an upset stomach. Or your dizziness may be so sudden or severe that you need to sit or lie down. The bout may last seconds or days, and it may come back.

When to see a doctor

In general, see your healthcare professional if you have any repeated, sudden, severe, or long-lasting dizziness or vertigo with no clear cause.

Get emergency medical care if you have new, severe dizziness or vertigo along with any of the following:

Dizziness has many possible causes. These include conditions that affect the inner ear, motion sickness and medicine side effects. Very rarely, dizziness may be caused by a condition such as poor circulation, infection or injury.

The way dizziness makes you feel and the things that trigger it for you provide clues about possible causes. How long the dizziness lasts and any other symptoms that you have also can help healthcare professionals pinpoint the cause.

Inner ear conditions that cause dizziness due to vertigo

Your sense of balance depends on the combined input from the various parts of your sensory system. These include your:

Vertigo is the sense that your surroundings are spinning or moving. With inner ear conditions, your brain receives signals from the inner ear that don’t match what your eyes and sensory nerves are receiving. Vertigo is what results as your brain works to sort out the confusion.

Circulation problems that cause dizziness

You may feel dizzy, faint or off balance if too little blood reaches your brain. Causes include:

Other causes of dizziness

Dizziness may result from conditions or circumstances like these:

Factors that may raise your risk of getting dizzy include:

Dizziness can lead to other health concerns called complications. For instance, it can raise your risk of falling and hurting yourself. Getting dizzy while driving a car or running heavy machinery can make an accident more likely. You also may have long-term complications if you don’t get treatment for a health condition that may be causing your dizziness.

Diagnosis involves the steps your healthcare professional takes to find the cause of your dizziness or vertigo. You may need imaging tests such as an MRI or a CT scan right away if your healthcare professional thinks you might be having or may have had a stroke. You also may need one of these imaging tests if you are older or had a blow to the head.

Your healthcare professional asks you about your symptoms and the medicines you take. Then you’ll likely have a physical exam. During this exam, your healthcare professional checks how you walk and maintain your balance. The major nerves of your central nervous system also are checked to make sure they’re working.

You also may need a hearing test and balance tests, including:

You also may be given blood tests to check for infection. You may need other tests to check your heart and blood vessel health too.

Dizziness often gets better without treatment. The body usually adapts to whatever is causing the condition within a few weeks.

If you seek treatment, your treatment is based on the cause of your condition and your symptoms. Treatment may include medicines and balance exercises. Even if no cause is found or if your dizziness keeps happening, prescription medicines and other treatments may make your symptoms better.

Medications

Therapy

Surgery or other procedures

If you tend to have repeated bouts of dizziness, follow these tips:

If you know why you become dizzy, you can take steps such as these:

Your main healthcare professional likely will be able to find and treat the cause of your dizziness. You may be referred to an ear, nose and throat doctor called otolaryngologist. Or you may see a doctor called a neurologist who treats conditions of the brain and nervous system.

Here’s some information to help you get ready for your appointment.

What you can do

Take a family member or friend with you to the appointment if you can. Someone who goes with you can help you remember the information you get. Other things to do before the appointment include:

For dizziness, some basic questions to ask your healthcare professional include:

What to expect from your doctor

Your healthcare professional likely will ask you questions such as:

What you can do in the meantime

If you tend to feel lightheaded when you stand up, take your time making changes in posture. If you have had bouts of dizziness while driving, have someone else drive you in the weeks before your healthcare checkup. For instance, you could ask a relative or friend to drive you as needed. Or you could use a rideshare service or public transportation.

If your dizziness causes you to feel like you might fall, take steps to lower your risk. Keep your home well lighted and free of hazards that might cause you to trip. Remove area rugs and clear away exposed electrical cords. Place furniture where you’re not likely to bump into it. And use nonslip grip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors.

© 1998-2024 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved.

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