This Could Be the Cause of Your Dizzy Spells

Are you feeling dizzy or lightheaded all of a sudden?  Are things spinning around you and you have to brace yourself so at to not fall? Do you notice the road swaying while driving? 

If so, then you may be experiencing the same thing I’ve experienced.  Luckily, there is a treatment for this and a name. First I’ll tell you about my scary driving experience with these symptoms.  

Here’s What Happened

I was driving to meet my friend for lunch one day. Going down the same roads I always drive. Then when I was on a rather high overpass bridge I began to get anxiety.  The cement wall barriers began to narrow, I slowed down and tried my hardest to not have a full panic attack.  

All of a sudden all I could think about was going over that cement barrier, where there is at least a 100-foot drop to the below traffic. My hands got sweaty, everything in front of me began to sway.  I took deep breaths and slowly drove on. 

This was different than the panic attack I’ve experienced in the past.  The entire drive to the restaurant I drove a little slower than usual, but careful to not get run over.  Houston drivers are fast and don’t slow down, so I did my best.  

The entire drive I was feeling off and a little lightheaded.  The road was not my friend at that moment.  

What Triggered This to Happen?

I’m not tired, anxious, stressed or anything.  I was happy and excited to be seeing my friend whom I hadn’t seen in a while.

We had a great lunch and caught up.  Then I had to drive back home. It’s about a 15-20 minute drive back.  Off I went back the way I came which meant having to go back over that same bridge but in the other direction.  It wasn’t as high but not by much.

By this time it was dark so I had to focus because I noticed in driving the flat part of the highway it seemed the lanes were creating a waving motion on the ground.  It was dizziness perhaps and the lines on the road were giving me problems now.  It looked like the main image of this article post. Wavy lines.

WTH was happening!

I knew I had to push through it keep myself calm and not allow myself to become scared.  That would only cause me to be scared to drive altogether. I can’t let that happen as a mom that’s literally a big part of my life.  Driving my girls from here to there all the time.

I remembered while I was in the shower that same day that I became really dizzy and everything was spinning around me.  So could the two be related, was this episode from being dizzy and lightheaded or anxiety-based?

In the past, I had experienced dizziness off and on and had an episode while driving.  This was about 6 years ago. I forgot about it because after I had treatment for it, it went away.  

It seems it’s back.  

So What Is It?

BPPV – Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

BPPV is a problem in the inner ear when crystals of calcium carbonate deposit dislodge from the inner ear or utricle.  This crystal moves into another part of your inner ear, semicircular canal, and is what causes the dizziness you experience.  BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo.

Moving your head around as you normally would cause these crystals to move and send mixed messages/signals to your brain that your head is moving when it is not. 

When the brain thinks there is movement from the crystals but is not receiving movement messages from your eyes, ear senses, body movement that is when you feel dizziness or disorientation. 

The messages being received are mismatched.  One message says you’re moving but the rest of your senses say you’re not and cause you to get dizzy.

So those crystals are causing misinformation because they are moving in the semicircular ear canal when they should be stationary in the utricle. 

What Causes Crystals to Dislodge?

In some instances, head trauma can be a cause of BPPV, migraines, ear infections, or just from regular head movement.  It is unknown how this happens for sure but these are some possible causes. 

I haven’t experienced any of these possible causes it just happened.  Luckily, my incidences have been years apart so it’s not a continuous challenge.  

Treatment

You can treat this occurrence with at-home exercises.  You can also visit your physical therapist (PT), ENT or chiropractor.  You can visit your primary care doctor and they may refer you to a PT or other specialist.  

While dizziness can be a symptom of anxiety the feeling of dizziness can cause your anxiety to be triggered.  

Vestibular System (sensory system)

This system is responsible for sensing balance and special orientation in the body and during movement.  It is here that dizziness is sensed in the body.  

Scientists believe that the areas in the brain responsible for dizziness interact with the areas responsible for anxiety, and cause both symptoms.

Laura O. Morris, PT, NCS

At Home Exercise

The movements in the exercise are to move the dislodged crystal through the canal and away from the semicircular canal where it will not cause you any more problems.

Epley Maneuver

This is the most effective & common treatment with a 90% correction rate and can work immediately.  You may also need 1-3 treatments to feel better. It depends on you and your situation.  

During my regular adjustment at my chiropractor (more on this in another post), he did a version of this treatment as well.  You can easily do this at home after watching a few YouTube videos on this exercise.

I’ve done both at home and by a doctor and both times I felt dizzy during the treatment.  It is also possible that you may experience nausea during these treatments due to the lightheadedness.  Be mindful of that when doing the treatment and be prepared.

Even with the high effective rate, you may still need to do a few treatments to get relief.  

Other Maneuvers 

There are other types of exercises or Maneuvers you can do.

Semont, Foster, and Brandt-Doroff offer different variations of the maneuver above.  Again, you can find videos on how to do them on YouTube.  

Will It Reoccur?

BPPV is a condition that can re-occur periodically with long-term recurrence rates as high as 50% within 5 years.

Vestibluar.org

You may or may not experience a recurrence within this timeframe.  Everyone is different. My recurrence was 6 years between episodes.  

Vertical Heterophoria

If you experience dizziness while driving and don’t find relief with these exercises you may want to look into Vertical Heterophoria which is caused by a misalignment in your eyes. 

Sinus Infection

Ear infection from sinus infections, due to allergies or cold can also cause dizziness and similar symptoms to BPPV.  It’s worth it to make sure you don’t have a cold or sinus infection before determining if you have BPPV so that the appropriate treatment is received. 

Can BPPV Cause Anxiety?

In my case, I think feeling dizzy and disoriented while driving, triggered anxiety because it was pretty scary.  Having experienced a panic attack while driving years ago, this was not the same feeling. The road and bridge seemed to be moving and I couldn’t get my balance or orientation back.

As mentioned above, the same area that causes dizziness also causes anxiety. So it is quite likely it can cause anxiety in relation to the disorientation.

If you’re experiencing these symptoms follow up with your doctor for recommended treatment.  

Remember no two people are the same therefore no two people will have the same experience or outcome.  What I experienced may be different from your experience. Either way, I hope you find relief with these treatments.  I know how terrifying this can be when it happens. And it seems to always happen at the most inopportune times.  

Take care and be well.