Vertigo is caused by issues with the inner ear—such as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (or BPPV), which develops as tiny calcium particles build up in the ear canals; Meniere’s disease, which is caused by fluid pressure in the ear; and Vestibular neuritis, a viral infection of the inner ear nerves. All of these cause the body to become unbalanced, resulting in an unbalanced feeling that the world spinning or tilted, and dizzy spells that come and go for about 20-seconds as your head changes positions.
Vertigo is a feeling that you or your surroundings are moving when there is no actual movement. The motion commonly is described as a feeling of spinning or whirling, but it also can include sensations of falling or tilting. Vertigo can cause nausea and vomiting. It may be hard to walk or stand, and you may lose your balance and fall.
Symptoms associated with vertigo include:
1. Distorted Balance
The primary symptom of vertigo is a feeling of spinning, you may feel tilted yourself or you may feel that the world is swaying, which causes an unbalanced sensation that you are being pulled in one direction.
2. Migraine Headaches
People with vertigo often experience severe migraine headaches, caused by the pressure buildup of fluid or calcium, and a sensation of being off balance.
3. Nausea
A severe feeling of nausea will often set in when the world is thrown off balance. This is due to the unbalanced feeling of spinning or falling. In severe cases, vertigo can cause vomiting.
4. Ringing in the Ears
Tinnitus, or a loud ring or ping in the ears, can occur in conjunction with vertigo episodes. However, over time it may become more continual and intense as a load and cumbersome buzzing.
5. Fatigue
Most people find the unbalanced feeling that vertigo causes to be physically exhausting. Unknowing when episodes will come on or how long they will last can cause severe physical and emotional stress and fatigue.
6. Sweating
The sudden onset of a vertigo attack can cause severe panic and profuse sweating—particularly on the forehead, head, neck, and chest. Clammy chills due to excessive perspiration may creep along the entire body if you feel an episode coming on.
7. Hearing Loss
Vertigo, especially if it’s traced to Meniere’s disease, can cause progressive, low-frequency hearing loss that affects one ear. Your hearing may become “tinny” and load noises may be painful. Hearing typically becomes progressively worse as time passes and patients may become completely deaf in the affected ear.
8. Twitching Eyes
Abnormal or twitching eye muscles (nystagmus) is often a sign of vertigo, which occurs due to this fatigue and stress and causes the muscle in the eyelids to spasm for periods that can last a few hours to a few days. Rest will alleviate eye twitching.
9. Ear Pressure
The feeling of pressure inside the ear (or Aural Fullness) may be caused as the barometric pressure shifts and vertigo sets in. This can occur when the head shifts planes or pressure changes, for instance, when descending in an airplane.
10. Panic Attacks
Many individuals affected by vertigo complain of lengthy panic attacks that can occur sporadically and last up to 30-minutes, virtually draining them of energy.
Mild vertigo occurs occasionally for a brief time and goes away on its own. Nausea, but not vomiting, also may be present.