Do you ever feel lightheaded when you stand up too quickly or a little unsteady when walking across certain surfaces? Occasional dizziness is common as we get older, but that does not make it any less disruptive to your daily life.
While age can bring changes that affect balance, you have more control than you might think. By understanding what is causing your dizziness and making small, proactive changes, you can help your body feel steadier and more confident on its feet.
In this article, we will walk you through what dizziness is, some common reasons it happens, and practical tips to help you stay balanced and keep doing the things you love.
What Are Dizzy Spells?
Dizziness is when you feel the illusion of movement, even if you’re holding still. This leads to disorientation that can cause instability.
Older adults tend to experience dizzy spells more frequently as they get older. But the sensation is slightly different for everyone. Some people feel dizzy very suddenly and without explanation. Others experience associated nausea or migraines.
Dizzy spells can manifest as:
- Feeling like the room is spinning.
- Losing your balance unexpectedly.
- Experiencing lightheadedness.
- Feeling like you may pass out
- Having a sensation of floating.
Dizziness can get worse when you stand or move. It can happen when you shift your head in a certain way. Dizzy spells tend to last for only a few moments. However, some people experience dizziness for several minutes or even days before finding relief.
How Is Dizziness Different From Vertigo?
Related to dizzy spells is vertigo. While dizziness can have a wide range of sensations, vertigo is feeling like the world is spinning or moving around you. It may cause you to feel unsteady like you’re being rocked or tilted. The main difference is that vertigo doesn’t usually make you feel lightheaded or faint.
What Causes Dizzy Spells?
Dizzy spells are a signal that something is going on beneath the surface. Although dizziness is not a diagnosis, dizzy spells and imbalance are among the most common symptoms older people bring to their doctors. About 25% or more of older adults over the age of 72 struggle with dizziness.
The underlying cause of dizziness varies widely from person to person. Yet, to understand dizziness, it’s important to know where your sense of balance comes from in the first place — the vestibular system.
Balance and the Vestibular System
Your ears are an amazing organ. They help you hear, but they also have another function you may not know about. Your ears house your body’s vestibular system, the sensory system responsible for balance and orientation. Your vestibular system is like a gyroscope, helping your brain coordinate movement to get you where you want to go.
The vestibular system is a complex array of fluid-filled canals and highly sensitive organs that detect direction, speed, and overall posture. It conveys this information to the brain, where your thinking organ collects other sensory inputs to control balance and keep you steady on your feet.
If your vestibular system is damaged or impaired, you will experience dizzy spells and balance issues.
Most Common Causes of Dizziness in Older Adults
Dizziness is a complex symptom. It’s related to a wide range of health conditions, which can make it difficult for your doctor to pinpoint the exact cause. Understanding your vestibular system and the most common causes of dizziness related to aging will help you and your doctor sleuth out the right diagnosis.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
The main reason most older adults, and even younger people, experience dizzy spells and vertigo is a condition called BPPV. A disruption in the vestibular system causes benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. One of the organs in your inner ear that helps with balance also creates microscopic crystals. If these break off and move to the nearby canals, they create a quick but intense feeling of vertigo.
If you experience vertigo when you roll over in bed or move your head up and down, you may have BPPV. These dizzy spells often resolve in 20 seconds or less as the crystals settle, but the symptoms they cause can be uncomfortable, such as nausea or the feeling you may pass out.
Spinal Degeneration
Another major cause of dizzy spells is degenerative spine conditions. Degeneration to the spine, particularly the neck area, is common as we age. Arthritis or natural wear and tear can make moving your head and neck more difficult.
When you can’t move your cervical spine naturally, your brain can receive erroneous sensory messages. Basically, there’s an inconsistency between your vestibular system and your neck sensors. The result is disorientation and dizzy spells.
Changes in Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force of blood as it pushes against your artery walls. With age, your heart doesn’t pump blood as effectively, creating abnormal regulation. Orthostatic hypotension is a type of low blood pressure. It can occur if you stand up too quickly or if you’re dehydrated. The result is wooziness and a lightheaded sensation.
Multiple Medications
It’s ordinary for the medication cabinet to get a bit larger as you age. Yet, the more medicine you use, the greater your risk of dizzy spells. Blood pressure prescriptions and other medications prescribed to older adults list dizziness as a common side effect.
Be sure your doctor knows all your prescriptions to ensure no harmful drug interactions that could cause dizzy spells.
Underlying Medical Conditions
As we age, it becomes more likely that we will have at least one underlying medical condition. Most older adults have at least one chronic condition. Dizziness is a common symptom associated with many medical diagnoses, including:
- Anemia
- Ménière’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
- Migraine
- Diabetes
Mental Health Concerns
Psychological concerns such as anxiety disorders and depressive symptoms share a strong link to reports of dizziness. As you get older, you may begin to feel more anxious. Certain situations can cause feelings of panic or dread, leading to dizzy spells. This increased anxiety, and even the fear of falling, has a strange way of increasing the likelihood of experiencing a fall.
How to Know When a Dizzy Spell Is Coming
Attention to dizzy spells, before they get too bad, is a critical concern. Dizziness is a strong predictor of falls in older adults, so knowing when a dizzy spell is coming can help you take action before you get injured.
Here are some signs and symptoms of dizziness that you should be aware of:
- Weakness
- Nausea
- Cold sweat
- Vision changes, such as blurriness
- Lightheadedness
- Confusion
- Unbalanced
- Unsteady
- Faint sensation
- The world begins to shift or move around you
- Feeling as though you’re spinning
If any of these sensations occur, stop and take a rest. Lying down for a couple of minutes can allow more blood flow to your brain. Once the feelings pass, sit up before trying to stand. If you don’t feel dizzy, slowly stand up to ensure you’re steady on your feet.
Tips and Tricks to Mitigate Your Risk of Dizzy Spells and Falls
Here are some practical steps you can take to reduce your risk of falls caused by dizziness:
- Avoid sudden movements: If you’ve been having dizzy spells, you don’t want to move too quickly — especially when sitting up or standing.
- Keep a medical journal: Track when your dizzy spells occur, how frequently, and what led up to them. This will give your doctor more information so that they can recommend new medications or find the underlying cause of the dizziness.
- Drink water: Dehydration can be a cause of dizziness in older adults. Drink lots of water and avoid beverages that dehydrate your body, like coffee and tea.
- Repositioning procedures: If BPPV causes your dizzy spells, talk to your doctor about repositioning maneuvers. These series of head movements can shift and settle the crystals in your ears.
- Physical therapy: If you struggle with dizzy spells or vertigo, physical therapy guides you through exercises designed to help your balance and reduce your risk of falls.
Get Peace of Mind With a Medical Alert System
Dizzy spells and vertigo are serious concerns as you get older. They increase your risk of falling. Safeguard your independence or give your loved ones peace of mind with a medical alert system. At Medical Guardian, we design medical alert devices that fit your lifestyle. Our fall-detection features add an additional layer of security so that you can live free from fear, knowing help is there if you need it.
Contact us today to speak with a friendly life safety consultant. We can help you find the perfect medical alert device for your unique needs and lifestyle!
