What is dizziness?

There are many variations to your equilibrium feeling wonky – vertigo, dizziness, unsteadiness, off-balance. It can be hard to recognize if you’re just feeling dizzy or if you’re experiencing true vertigo.

Dizziness generally describes a feeling of being disoriented and not in control of your body. When you’re dizzy, moving can be difficult. You may stagger while you’re walking or feel like you’re going to fall. Many people with vertigo will report dizziness as a symptom. However, vertigo actually describes a specific type of sensation. Vertigo is when you feel as if you or your surroundings are moving. If you experience vertigo, you may feel a spinning, whirling, or tipping sensation. Like dizziness, vertigo also impacts balance. It’s not uncommon for someone with vertigo to also experience nausea or vomiting. 

If you’re experiencing dizziness, it’s important to see your doctor to investigate the cause of these problems. Your balance system can be affected by many different medical problems. If your symptoms seem to be caused by your balance organ, your doctor may tell you have ‘dizziness,’ ‘vertigo’ or ‘vestibular imbalance.’ These can be caused by a variety of causes including a virus or ear infection and wear-and-tear on the balance system. Sometimes your doctor can give you medication to ease the symptoms of dizziness and nausea. However, there is no medicine which can make your balance system work normally. Sometimes your doctor might not be able to discover why your dizziness started.

Some people find that their dizziness will clear up over a month or two if they keep up their normal activities. However, it's very common for people to find that their dizziness doesn't clear up completely or that it comes back from time to time, or even that it doesn't seem to go at all. You can speed the natural recovery process by doing some balance training. These exercises may help for a variety of causes of balance problems.