Dizziness is a sensation of spinning around and losing one’s balance. In most cases, this feeling will often clear on its own.
If however, you experience repeated episodes of dizziness, have your healthcare provider diagnose the condition to establish the actual causes. Here are some effective home remedies for dizziness.
What causes dizziness?
Dizziness is the feeling of being lightheaded or unbalanced. When one is dizzy, one feels like he or she is about to faint or like the surrounding is moving or spinning around.
These feeling may at times be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
Dizziness is not a medical condition on its own but a symptom of an underlying cause. Some possible causes of dizziness will include the following:
1. Inner ear infection
Dizziness is a common side effect of inner ear problems such as infection and fluid buildup that can affect your balance.
According to mayo clinic, an ear infection is a bacterial or viral infection that affects the middle ear, this is the air-filled space behind the eardrum. Children are more likely than adults to get an inner ear infection.
Most of the infections clear up on their own, treatment may, however, be required to manage the pain and monitor the problem. Without proper care, the infection may cause a permanent hearing problem.
2. Low blood pressure (hypoglycemia)
Hypoglycemia result from a deficiency of glucose in the bloodstream. It is common in people with diabetes, it can, however, occur due to other reasons such as poor dieting, use of certain medication, and doing strenuous exercise.
Other symptoms may include confusion, feeling shaky, hunger, headache, and pale skin
3. Vertigo
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is one of the common causes of vertigo, a sensation o whirling and loss of balance. It is associated with looking down from a great height but can also be caused by disease affecting the inner ear or the vestibular nerve.
BPPV can be caused by specific changes in the position of the head. It can cause mild to severe cases of dizziness. BPPV is idiopathic, which means no cause is known. A minor cause is a blow to the head.
4. Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, unease, and nervousness about an imminent event or a certain outcome. Common symptoms will include dizziness, lightheadedness, spinning, and feeling as though you might pass out.
There are two treatment options for anxiety disorder, psychotherapy, and medication. A combination of the two can be more beneficial. Psychotherapy involves working with a therapist, medication may involve the use of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication.
5. Hypertension
Also called high blood pressure, it is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough to cause health problems.
Your blood pressure is determined by both the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries.
Generally, the more blood your heart pumps and the narrow your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
6. Taking certain medication
Dizziness can also result from taking certain medication. For example, taking blood pressure medication may lower your blood pressure too much thus cause dizziness.
Dizziness is also a common side effect of taking sedatives and tranquilizers. Other such drugs include antiseizure and antidepressants.
If you start to experience these symptoms after taking such drugs, discontinue the use and talk to your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
Remedy for vertigo dizziness
Vertigo often results from an inner ear infection but can also be caused by vision problems. When this is the cause of dizziness, the following home remedies will help stop the sensation:
1. Epley maneuver
Epley maneuver is a head and neck tilting exercise that can be used to stop dizziness and lightheadedness.
Epley maneuver forces the calcium crystal debris causing vertigo to slip into the area of the inner ear where it no longer causes the lightheadedness. This is what you need to do:
- While sitting down, tilt your head 45 degrees horizontally towards the affected ear
- Now lie back into a horizontal position keeping your head hanging at a 45-degree turn
- Turn your head 90 degrees towards the unaffected ear and roll onto the side of the unaffected ear
- Hold this position for 5 minutes then slowly return to a seated position
2. Drink plenty of water
Lack of enough water in your body (dehydration) is a common cause of dizziness. It can result from not drinking enough water or from vomiting and diarrhea which causes excessive fluid loss.
- When feeling dizzy drink a cup or two of cold water to keep your body hydrated
- An alternative would be to drink herbal tea with a tablespoon of raw honey or take fruit juice
3. Ginger
When the dizziness is accompanied by nausea or vomiting, the most effective remedy you can use is ginger. When used, this remedy stimulates blood flow to the brain and other parts of the body, this is what helps reduce the intensity of the dizziness.
- When feeling dizzy, chew on a small slice of fresh ginger root
- You can also drink ginger ale or tea through the day to overcome the dizziness.
4. Avoid substances that affect blood circulation
Coffee, cigarette and other tobacco products, and alcohol are known to affect blood circulation. When feeling dizzy, you need to avoid all these products.
If the dizziness persists, have your healthcare provider diagnose it to establish what the underlying cause might be.
From anxiety
When dizziness is a symptom of anxiety, the following home remedies can be used to get rid of the sensation.
5. Motion sickness medication
Over the counter, motion sickness medication can help get rid of dizziness caused by anxiety. In severe cases, stronger motion sickness tablets may be prescribed by your doctor.
Common such medication includes Meclizine and Diphenhydramine
6. Deep breathing
Deep breathing stop dizziness by providing an adequate amount of oxygen to the brain, this helps relax the nervous system and reduce dizziness. All you have to do is:
- Sit or lie down in a comfortable position
- Place one hand on the abdomen and the thumb of the other hand against one nostril then close your mouth
- Inhale slowly through your open nostril
- Hold your breath in, close both nostril and purse your lips
- Now exhale slowly, trying to extract air from your belly
Home remedies for low blood pressure dizziness
When low blood pressure is the cause of the dizziness, the following home remedies will effectively help stop or get rid of the sensation. See your healthcare provider if the symptoms persist:
7. Eat something
Maintaining a healthy diet can help prevent dizziness by eliminating many of the conditions that contribute to it. This way, you are able to prevent dizziness caused by anemia, low blood pressure, and low blood sugar.
Eat food rich in iron, vitamin A, fiber and folic acid (especially when pregnant). You need to choose foods that are low in fat and sugar.
- For vitamin C eat oranges, lemons, broccoli, and spinach
- For iron eat foods such as liver, spinach, almonds and asparagus
- Fortified cereals, bananas, broccoli and peanut are rich in folic acid
- Do not take iron blocking beverages such as coffee, wine, and beer
8. Have enough rest
It is common to feel dizzy or lightheaded after a sudden change of position, which is when moving around or after standing up. In such cases, having enough rest is all you need to stop the dizziness. Sit or lie down for some minute to get rid of the spinning sensation.
- When sitting down, put your head between your legs to increase blood flow to the brain
- Also, do the same when lying down
9. Lemon juice
Lemon juice is the other effective home remedy you can use to get rid of dizziness. Lemon contains vitamin C which boosts the immune system that helps your body fight off infection. It also has other nutrients that energize your body and keeps it hydrated.
- Squeeze lemon juice from a fresh fruit
- Add a tablespoon of sugar of raw honey and
- Drink it to stop the dizziness
10. Honey
The natural sweetness of raw honey can instantly boost your energy level thus stopping dizziness. Regularly taking honey can also help prevent low blood sugar which is a common cause of dizziness.
When feeling dizzy, mix two spoons of raw honey with one tablespoon of unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a glass of warm water. Take the mixture at least twice a day.
Feeling dizzy during pregnancy
It is common to experience dizziness and lightheadedness during pregnancy. Common causes include being dehydrated, lacking enough nutrients and fatigue. When the dizziness becomes persistent, the following will help prevent, stop and get rid of the spinning sensation.
11. Iron supplements
Iron supplements are often used when the dizziness is a symptom of anemia or low blood sugar. You ca, however, boost iron naturally by taking red meat, beans, and dark leafy greens
12. Vitamin C
Vitamin C can help stop dizziness caused by vertigo during pregnancy. To do that naturally, eat a lot of oranges, grapefruits, and strawberries.
13. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is known to maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, this helps prevent blood circulation problems that might cause dizziness.
You can do this naturally during pregnancy by increasing your consumption of wheat germ, kiwi, spinach, and nuts.
14. Vitamin B-6
Vitamin B-6 may help reduce drug-induced vertigo symptoms such as dizziness or lightheadedness. Vitamin B—6 can also help prevent anemia which is a common cause of dizziness.
During pregnancy, you can get vitamin B-6 from eating tuna, lean pork, prunes and turkey
How to cure dizziness from spinning
Spinning your head or body for long can also cause lightheadedness. When this is the underlying cause of the dizziness, you can do the following to stop, cure or get rid of it.
- Lie down to allow more blood flow to your brain
- After 5 minutes, sit upright and remain seated for 5 minutes before standing up
- Avoid operating machinery or climbing when feeling dizzy
- Avoid coffee, tobacco products, alcohol and other products that can affect your blood circulation
- You can also try deep breathing to stop the dizziness fast
Preventing dizziness
Treating and preventing dizziness involves living a healthy lifestyle. This may involve treating the underlying medical condition that is likely to cause the sensation. You can also do the following to prevent the symptom:
- Reducing the amount of emotional stress. This can be done using medical treatment, and activities such as yoga and meditation.
- You will also need to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated
- Also get enough sleep at least 6 hours of sleep a day to relax your body and increase its optimal performance
- According to mayo clinic, frequent consumption of salt, alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco may increase the symptoms of dizziness, so cutting down on their consumption may help prevent dizziness
References:
- Lifestyle and home remedies for dizziness: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dizziness/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20023004