Are you feeling lightheaded more and more often? Find out what could be causing it.
Most people experience a bout of dizziness at some point in their lifetime, whether it’s from not getting enough water throughout the day or from extreme exercise. Of course, if you are noticing that you feel dizzy or lightheaded a lot, it might be time to schedule an appointment with our Wayne, NJ, ENT doctor, Dr. Frank Kardos.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
The name might sound a bit scary, but it’s actually a pretty common condition. If you get out of bed and feel as if the room is spinning around you, you may be dealing with vertigo. It isn’t just a Hitchcock movie! Vertigo is usually to blame for about half of all dizziness experienced in people over the age of 50.
How do you treat vertigo? Our otolaryngologist in Wayne, NJ, has some solutions. We can show you different head positioning techniques that can help realign the crystals in your ear to alleviate your vertigo. Anti-nausea medications and head positioning exercises can all be used to help manage your symptoms.
Overheating/Dehydration
Whether you’ve been out in the heat too long or you’ve just gotten done with a serious sweat-inducing workout, you may be feeling a bit dizzy. The best way to treat this issue is to drink enough water, particularly if you are sweating. Another quick fix is to drink juice, which can give you a tiny boost in your blood sugar. Also, try to lie down afterward. If your dizziness is due to being dehydrated or overheated, you’ll find that it will most likely pass after drinking water or some juice.
Medications
If you take prescription medications regularly and you find yourself feeling dizzy, you may want to take a look at your medication labels. On some prescription medications, it will list dizziness as a side effect.
If you’ve just started taking these medications, your dizziness could be a result of them. If your dizziness has you concerned, you may want to talk to your doctor about switching medications or stopping them altogether.
Meniere’s Disease
While this inner ear issue can affect anyone, it’s most common in adults in their 40s and 50s. Along with feelings of lightheadedness, you may also notice ringing in your ears or pressure in the ear. Some patients with this condition may occasionally feel nauseous.
While Meniere’s Disease isn’t curable, we can help you manage your symptoms. We can prescribe you anti-nausea or motion sickness medications. We can also provide you with exercises which may help with your balance. Those with this condition should get ample sleep and avoid caffeine, alcohol, salt and smoking, which can aggravate your symptoms.
Don’t let dizziness affect your daily life. Turn to the ear, nose & throat expert, Dr. Kardos, in Wayne, NJ. Call our office today to schedule your next appointment.