Dizziness and Vertigo

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Seniors
• Patient Handouts

Summary

When you're dizzy, you may feel lightheaded, woozy, or disoriented. If you feel like you or the room are spinning, you have vertigo. These feelings may make you lose your balance.

Dizziness can have many different causes. A sudden drop in blood pressure or being dehydrated can make you dizzy. Many people feel lightheaded if they get up too quickly from sitting or lying down. Certain medicines and problems with your inner ear may cause dizziness. So can motion sickness. Sometimes dizziness can be a symptom of other disorders.

As people get older, they may have more health problems and take more medicines. This makes them more likely to have problems with dizziness and balance.

Dizziness usually gets better by itself or is easily treated. If you are dizzy often, you should see your health care provider to find the cause.

NIH: National Institutes of Health

Start Here

• Dizziness (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Dizziness and Motion Sickness (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Dizziness and Vertigo (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
• Dizziness Can Be a Drag: Coping with Balance Disorders (National Institutes of Health)

Symptoms

• What are the Symptoms of a Vestibular Disorder? (Vestibular Disorders Association)

Treatments and Therapies

• Canalith Repositioning Procedure (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Home-Based Exercise (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Medication (for Vestibular Disorders) (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Surgical Procedures for Vestibular Dysfunction (Vestibular Disorders Association)

Living With

• Strategies for Everyday Challenges: Tips to Help You Cope (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Support Group Directory (Vestibular Disorders Association)

Related Issues

• Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIED) (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Cholesteatoma (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome (EVAS) (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Otosclerosis (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Cervicogenic Dizziness (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Dizziness, Vertigo, and Disequilibrium (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Labyrinthitis and Vestibular Neuritis (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Mal de Debarquement (Sickness of Disembarkment) (Vestibular Disorders Association) - PDF
• Ototoxicity (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Perilymph Fistula (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Secondary Endolymphatic Hydrops (SEH) (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence (SSCD) (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Vestibular Hyperacusis (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• Vestibular Migraine (a.k.a.Migraine Associated Vertigo or [MAV]) (Vestibular Disorders Association)

Health Check Tools

• Vertigo (DSHI Systems)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Dizziness (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Vertigo (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Vestibular Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: The effect of chinese herbal medicine Banxia Baizhu Tianma Decoction...
• Article: Does the longus colli have an effect on cervical vertigo?:...
• Article: Vertebrobasilar system computed tomographic angiography in central vertigo.
• Dizziness and Vertigo -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• About Hearing (Gallaudet University, Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center)
• Human Balance System (Vestibular Disorders Association)
• NIDCD Glossary (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
• Types of Vestibular Disorders (Vestibular Disorders Association)

Find an Expert

• Directory of Organizations (Deafness and Communication Disorders) (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
• Find a Neurologist (American Academy of Neurology)
• Find an ENT (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Children

• Dizziness and Balance Problems in Kids: Spinning Sensations and Unsteadiness (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Ototoxicity (Ear Poisoning) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Pediatric Vestibular Disorders (Vestibular Disorders Association)

Seniors

• Age-Related Dizziness and Imbalance (Vestibular Disorders Association) - PDF

Patient Handouts

• Benign positional vertigo (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Benign positional vertigo -- aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Dizziness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Dizziness and vertigo -- aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Electronystagmography (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Epley maneuver (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Labyrinthitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Vertigo-associated disorders (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish