Understanding Balance Disorders: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

Dizziness is experienced differently by everyone. For one, it is the loss of spatial orientation, a feeling of weakness or going black in front of the eyes; others complain of nausea or a tendency to fall. About 38% of Germans suffer from vertigo attacks – women more often than men. In 8% of those affected, the dizziness is due to an illness.

Dizziness: a symptom with numerous causes

If the dizziness manifests itself with an unpleasant distortion of the perception of space and movement, it is not a disease but a symptom with numerous causes. The range of causes is extensive. Dizziness is – like pain – an alarm signal from the body, the cause of which must be sought.

The trigger can be the vestibular system, but blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, metabolism, or the psyche can be too high or too low. An exact medical diagnosis – especially in the case of new dizziness attacks – is, therefore, very important and the basis for further treatment.

 

Stay balanced

The balance is based on the finely tuned cooperation of the most diverse organs. This includes the eyes, the sense of balance in the inner ear and the central processing in the brain. If one link in the chain doesn’t work, all the others get confused, too – we get dizzy.

In motion sickness, the brain receives conflicting information about the position and movement of the body, causing what is known as physiological dizziness. Taking many medications, e.g. B. antibiotics, antidepressants, heart-strengthening or blood pressure-lowering drugs, can lead to dizzy spells.

Worse is ” lesional vertigo “, which is caused by a pathological dysfunction of the sensory organs, especially the balance organ. If the organ of balance in the ear is diseased or completely absent, this is called vestibular vertigo. Possible causes are inflammation, tumours, Circulatory disorders, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis or diseases such as Meniere’s disease.

This disease, which mainly occurs between the ages of 40 and 60, manifests itself in dizzy spells lasting minutes or even hours with a tendency to fall, sweating, nausea and vomiting. The disease usually takes a favourable course; hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can develop in unfavourable cases.

In old age, people most often “cheat.”

The most common form of vertigo in adults is head-down and positional vertigo, which tends to occur when the head is on its side. This dizziness can occur after falls or very violent head movements. As a typical disease of old age, this dizziness usually appears between the ages of 60 and 80.

Patients suffer from short-lived dizzy spells, which can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and anxiety, especially at night when turning over in bed or getting up. This condition rarely lasts long but generally resolves after treatment.

 

Blood pressure and balance

Dizziness, drowsiness and going black before the eyes can also result from a lack of blood flow to the brain, which can be traced back to a primarily temporary circulatory disorder. This is often the result of a drop in blood pressure and is characterized by drowsiness, slowing down or confusion. Blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea and, in extreme cases, brief fainting can also occur.

High blood pressure can also trigger dizziness, with headaches almost always present. Cardiac arrhythmias, especially in older people, cause dizziness since the blood supply to the brain is not even.

Treatment – everything in balance

In addition to treating the cause of dizziness, physiotherapeutic measures have proven particularly effective. This provokes postural uncertainties that require corrective movements on the part of the patient. Ultimately, the therapy aims to improve the equilibrium reaction. Drug therapy for dizziness and motion sickness can use tablets (e.g., dimenhydrinate) or homoeopathic preparations with cocculus.

Rest in case of dizziness – not always the best choice.

Physical activity is also especially important with increasing age because, in people who already have low blood pressure, it drops even further in stressful situations. Anyone who then lies down to rest increases these circulatory reactions even further. Anyone who suffers from dizziness attacks due to a particular fear and shows signs of circulatory weakness after getting up – such as muscle tremors, tachycardia or dizziness – should gradually increase their physical performance.

Appropriate fitness training not only promotes physical and mental fitness but also the oxygen supply to the body. In particular, isometric muscle training and endurance sports activate the circulation and ensure the oxygen supply. Rest or even strict bed rest, on the other hand, also weakens, especially older people.