“What does a vertigo attack feel like?”
I'm 25 years old and sometimes I feel really dizzy. I usually don't feel better until I lie down for a while. Could this be a vertigo attack?
3 Answers
could be, but vertigo is specifically spinning dizziness. At your age, you are most likely experiencing orthostatic hypotension from being dehydrated.
Clinically vertigo must be described as spinning, you or room or both. Can associated symptoms of nausea, vomiting, ringing in ears, hearing loss. See ENT if does not resolve.
A serious vertigo attack can feel like a "gray out" or "seeing spots" with lightheadedness, near-fainting, or fainting. Laying down gets more blood to your head, so you feel better.
When some people stand up, they get dizzy right away. They could just be dehydrated and need to drink some water, or they could have a medical condition like dysautonomia or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Dysautonomia is dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates all your automatic body functions like food digestion, heart rate, and breathing. When this system goes awry, your body can't get enough blood to your brain when you stand up.
If you feel like fainting every time you stand up, a cardiologist can test you in the Tilt Table Test, where you're strapped to a flat table. They press a button then lift you up. If you faint, you have dysautonomia. We test for this in the office by taking your blood pressure during three times: laying down for 5 min, the standing up, then one minute later (still standing up). If the heart rate exceeds
The treatment starts with hydration and salt, so drinking lots of water is a bigger rule than normal. Wearing compression stockings is a big help, as well as wearing an abdominal binder, support hose and tights. There are medications like metoprolol to slow the heart rate, and midodrine to increase the blood pressure.
Other causes of dizziness have to do with the inner ear, brain tumors and maybe even the heart. Seeing a cardiologist is in order, to be sure it's not your heart and to see if you need testing. Best to you!
When some people stand up, they get dizzy right away. They could just be dehydrated and need to drink some water, or they could have a medical condition like dysautonomia or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Dysautonomia is dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates all your automatic body functions like food digestion, heart rate, and breathing. When this system goes awry, your body can't get enough blood to your brain when you stand up.
If you feel like fainting every time you stand up, a cardiologist can test you in the Tilt Table Test, where you're strapped to a flat table. They press a button then lift you up. If you faint, you have dysautonomia. We test for this in the office by taking your blood pressure during three times: laying down for 5 min, the standing up, then one minute later (still standing up). If the heart rate exceeds
The treatment starts with hydration and salt, so drinking lots of water is a bigger rule than normal. Wearing compression stockings is a big help, as well as wearing an abdominal binder, support hose and tights. There are medications like metoprolol to slow the heart rate, and midodrine to increase the blood pressure.
Other causes of dizziness have to do with the inner ear, brain tumors and maybe even the heart. Seeing a cardiologist is in order, to be sure it's not your heart and to see if you need testing. Best to you!
