Causes of Sudden Vertigo – Headache is one of the most common and common health complaints. Even dizziness or headache is a symptom that almost appears in various types of diseases. Not only minor illnesses, even chronic illnesses sometimes have symptoms of headaches or dizziness. Dizziness usually occurs in the form of a heavy head or pain in certain parts of the head or all of it.
Well, but there is a disease of dizziness or headaches that should not be underestimated, Sinaumed’s, namely vertigo. The symptoms of this disease are more severe than the symptoms of ordinary dizziness or headaches. Vertigo sufferers will feel the sensation of a spinning head or a room that is moving while he is not moving. Even sufferers will have difficulty standing or walking properly when these symptoms appear.
Vertigo does not occur suddenly, Sinaumed’s. There are several factors that trigger sudden vertigo. Paying attention to the things that trigger vertigo can help you prevent these symptoms from occurring. You also need to know about what actions you should take if vertigo symptoms appear.
The following is a complete summary of vertigo, what causes it and how to overcome it.
What is Vertigo?
Vertigo is a headache that is usually accompanied by a view or the room around like spinning. It can also feel like the sufferer is moving even though it’s just silent, and you will lose your balance. These symptoms can also occur suddenly.
Many people think that the term vertigo describes a fear of heights, but that’s not true. Vertigo can occur when a person looks down from a height but it usually refers to dizziness that occurs due to a problem in the inner ear called peripheral vertigo or in a part of the brain called central vertigo.
Mild vertigo that only occurs occasionally can be treated with a number of steps to handle independently at home. However, if vertigo often recurs or is caused by certain diseases, you need immediate treatment from a doctor.
Causes of Sudden Vertigo
Sudden vertigo generally occurs due to an imbalance in the inner ear and a problem with the central nervous system. In addition, the cause of sudden vertigo can be caused by the following diseases or disorders of the ear and brain.
1. BPPV conditions
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of vertigo, the symptoms of this type of vertigo are causing a sensation like sudden spinning or dizziness. Dizziness can be mild, but can also be very strong or intense. Some of the symptoms are also accompanied by nausea, vomiting and loss of balance.
This condition can occur when you make a sudden change in head position. This condition can occur when you move your head up and down, lie down or when you turn your body or sit in a sleeping position.
The cause of this condition is not known with certainty. However, this condition is often associated with blows or even minor injuries to the head or disturbances that can damage the inner ear such as when performing surgery on the ear. In certain cases, people with BPPV usually experience periods of vertigo that last less than 60 seconds, but other symptoms can also occur, such as nausea.
2. Meniere’s disease
Another cause of vertigo is Meniere’s disease which is an inner ear disorder that can affect balance and hearing. Apart from vertigo, this condition is usually characterized by a sensation of ringing in the ears or tinnitus, temporary hearing loss or what is known as sensorineural deafness, and a feeling of fullness and pressure in the ear.
On the inside of the ear, there are tubes filled with fluid which, together with the nerves and skull, help with hearing and maintain body balance. This condition occurs when there is a buildup of fluid in the inner ear. This condition can trigger vertigo with ringing in the ears and hearing loss. This disease usually affects people aged around 40-60 years.
Several factors that may be a factor in the occurrence of excess fluid in the ear, such as fluid drainage problems, abnormal immune responses, viral infections, genetic disorders or a combination of these factors.
3. Labyrinthitis
Labyrinthitis is inflammation of the part of the inner ear called the labyrinth. The labyrinth consists of fluid-filled canals, which together with the vestibulocochlear nerve help control balance and hearing. If one of the nerves or labyrinths becomes inflamed, vertigo and hearing loss can occur.
These symptoms usually occur because they are caused by viruses or bacteria. Viruses that are known to cause labyrinthitis are influenza, herpes, measles, rubella, polio, hepatitis or varicella. But in rare cases, meningitis or head injury can also cause labyrinthitis.
4. Vestibular Migraine
Migraines and vertigo are indeed two different things. But if you already have a history of migraines, vestibular migraine can be the cause of the vertigo that is happening to you.
If regular migraines cause pain in the head, then vestibular migraines do not always cause pain in the head. The main symptom is a feeling of dizziness that appears and disappears, and can be caused by sudden head movements. This is also still related to the inner ear which regulates the sense of hearing and balance.
These symptoms can occur due to failure of the nerves in the brain which causes dilation of blood vessels in and around the brain, including the vestibular arteries in the inner ear.
5. Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED)
The immune system has a function to work to eradicate germs and bacteria that are not good for the body. In this case, the immune system mistakenly attacks and thinks the cells in the ear are part of the germs.
This condition causes the appearance of an autoimmune reaction. Apart from vertigo, reactions that may appear include ringing in the ears (tinnitus), balance problems, or ears that feel full.
6. Vertebrobasilar TIA
This disease attacks the vertebrobasilar arterial system which is located at the back of the brain. These arteries have the function of supplying blood, oxygen and nutrients to the most important brain structures including the brainstem, occipital lobe and cerebellum.
In vertebrobasilar insufficiency, the arteries develop a condition called atherosclerosis which can block blood flow to the brain. This can be caused by the formation of plaque due to the accumulation of cholesterol and calcium in the blood vessels.
This disease has stroke-like symptoms and can be a cause of sudden recurrence of vertigo. People who are prone to vertebrobasilar insufficiency are usually the elderly or those who are at high risk of hypertension and hyperlipidemia (increased levels of fat in the blood).
7. Strokes
Problems with the brain, such as a stroke can be the cause of the sudden vertigo you experience. Stroke is a condition when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced. This condition causes the brain tissue to not get enough oxygen and nutrients, so that the cells in the brain begin to die within minutes and some symptoms such as dizziness and vertigo can appear.
8. Multiple Sclerosis
This disease is an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system, namely the brain and spinal cord. This condition occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers, thereby interrupting communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.
This condition can cause various problems with body movements such as tremors. This condition can also be a cause of dizziness and vertigo in sufferers.
9. Brain Tumor
The next cause of vertigo is a brain tumor. This condition occurs when a tumor grows and develops in the cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that controls movement. This condition is usually characterized by balance problems, a spinning sensation or other symptoms of a tumor.
10. Acoustic Neuroma
This disease can also be known as vestibular schwannoma which is a benign (non-cancerous) tumor that grows on the vestibular nerve, the nerve that leads from the inner ear to the brain. Benign tumors in the area can affect your balance and hearing. So that it can cause hearing loss such as ringing in the ears to vertigo.
11. Use of drugs
Not only some of the diseases above, if you take certain drugs it can also be a cause of vertigo. Some of them are antibiotics, aminoglycosides, cisplatin, diuretics, or salicylates which affect the structure of the inner ear. Anticonvulsant drugs, aspirin to alcohol can be a cause of vertigo.
Apart from disease, vertigo can also be caused by several foods that trigger vertigo. The following are types of foods that can cause vertigo.
Foods that Cause Vertigo
The appearance of this vertigo can actually be caused by several foods. The following are foods that cause vertigo.
1. Caffeinated Beverages and Foods
Caffeine is usually found in chocolate, coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks. This is due to side effects that can increase the risk of dehydration and changes in nerve and brain performance. This makes people who often consume caffeine more often get vertigo.
Consuming caffeine in excess can also cause the risk of caffeine withdrawal effects or withdrawal symptoms of caffeine which can cause complaints of vertigo and headaches.
2. Foods high in salt
Actually, the recommendation for daily salt intake for adults is no more than 5 grams or the equivalent of 1 teaspoon per day.
If we consume salt in excess, it will trigger hypertension or high blood pressure. This can cause blood flow in the body’s balance organs to decrease and not run smoothly so that it can cause vertigo.
You need to reduce the amount of salt intake such as fast food, canned food, cheese, snacks and MSG.
3. Foods High in Sugar
In addition to foods high in salt, foods high in sugar can also cause vertigo. If you often and consume high amounts of sugar you can be at risk of developing diabetes. This disease is characterized by increased blood sugar in the body.
If you have diabetes, you are also at risk of experiencing nerve disorders including the nerves in the inner ear which can cause vertigo.
4. Food and drink containing alcohol
Sinaumed’s needs to pay attention to this, you need to pay attention to food and drinks that contain alcohol. If you consume it in large quantities and for a long time, it can cause side effects such as narrowing of the arteries. Foods that usually contain alcohol are tapai durian or alcoholic liquor.
When there is a blood vessel disorder in the balance organ in the inner ear, you can feel dizzy because of vertigo. Besides that, alcohol can have an impact on brain function which makes your body movements unstable, this happens when you are drunk because of alcohol.
So, those are some foods that can cause vertigo, if you are already experiencing vertigo, immediately check with your doctor and immediately reduce your consumption of foods with the ingredients above, Sinaumed’s.
How to Handle Vertigo Independently
If vertigo recurs suddenly, of course it can make you and those around you panic and worry. But to overcome this vertigo complaint, there are some tips that you can do independently at home. including:
- Try to stay calm
- If symptoms occur when you are standing, sit down immediately and close your eyes.
- Avoid lying on your side by leaning on the part of your head that is experiencing vertigo.
- Sleep with your head slightly raised or higher using two or more pillows
- Inadequate fluid intake by drinking water
- Use lighting when you wake up at night
- Don’t move your head suddenly
- Get enough sleep and don’t stay up late.
Movement to Overcome Vertigo Complaints
If your vertigo recurs, you don’t need to panic and immediately sit or lie down and close your eyes. You can also do some movements like the following.
The Epley maneuver
- Take a sitting position in bed and tilt your head up to 45 degrees to the side experiencing vertigo.
- Position a pillow to support your upper back, so that your head is slightly tilted back when you lie down.
- Move your body slowly to lie down in bed with your head still tilted 45 degrees. Hold the position for 30-6- seconds until the dizziness subsides.
- While lying down turn your head 90 degrees in the opposite direction and hold this position for 30-60 seconds until the dizziness subsides.
- Position your body facing the side of your head that is tilted.
- If the dizziness has subsided, try to sit up slowly.
Half Somersault or Foster Maneuver
- Get into a kneeling position and stare at the ceiling for a few seconds
- Bend down so that your forehead touches the floor and faces your knees, resembling a prostration. maintain for 30 seconds.
- Tilt your head 45 degrees to the side that has the vertigo. maintain for 30 seconds.
- Quickly raise your head until it is parallel to your back, while your knees and hands touch the floor. maintain at a 45 degree incline for 30 seconds.
- Keep your head tilted to the side affected by vertigo and try to stand up slowly.
- If you still feel vertigo, repeat for 15 minutes.
So that’s Sinaumed’s, the causes of vertigo and how to deal with it independently and movements that you can try to reduce vertigo symptoms. Thus the discussion about the causes of sudden vertigo to how to reduce the symptoms, I hope all the discussion above is useful, Sinaumed’s.