Are You Dizzy Or Lightheaded
You might say youâre dizzy if the room feels like it is spinning or you have trouble keeping your balance. You might say youâre lightheaded when you feel faint or like youâre about to pass out. Or you might use the words interchangeably. They can mean different things to different people. Dizziness and lightheadedness arenât always a cause for worry. But they sometimes can be a sign of a serious health problem.
How Do You Know Your Fatigue Is From Covid
How can you tell if your fatigue is related to COVID-19 or not? Part of it depends on timing. If your fatigue began during or shortly after your COVID-19 infection, its most likely related to COVID-19.
However, there are many causes of fatigue, so other conditions cannot be entirely excluded. You should let your health care provider know about fatigue and all of your lingering symptoms, especially if they get worse or havent resolved after four weeks. And if you experience shortness of breath, pain or fever, be sure to seek help right away.
Dealing with constant fatigue can be very challenging. Dont be too hard on yourself. Recovery will take time.
Long Covid Study Looks At Why Some Cant Shake Dizziness Fatigue And More
Back in the summer of 2020, when the pandemic was still new and hospitals were overflowing, Emory Healthcare opened a facility to treat a perplexing group of COVID-19 survivors.
The patients had withstood the viruss initial onslaught but couldnt shake some of the symptoms.
At the time, Dr. Alex Truong thought the long COVID clinic might be needed for a year, maybe two.
But long COVID a mysterious constellation of ailments that can go on for many weeks or months has become a bigger problem than Truong could have ever imagined.
In the U.S. alone, 1 in 5 of the adults stricken with COVID-19 have developed conditions that could be considered long COVID, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms range from brain fog and unrelenting fatigue to gastric and cardiac issues. Among those 65 and older, the estimates are even higher 1 in 4.
That translates into millions of Americans and more than 300,000 Georgians.
Other estimates vary wildly. There is no test for long COVID. No official statistics exist.
Clinicians at the Emory clinic have treated more than 1,000 COVID survivors. Theres now a four-month waiting list to be seen at the clinic.
Its been shocking, said Truong, who is co-director of the clinic,located at Emory University Hospital Midtown. Ive never seen, with other infections, such widespread, all-over-the-body symptoms for this long.
Recommended Reading: Can Prostate Cancer Cause Fatigue
How Long Does Post Covid Dizziness Last
General dizziness is a common side-effect of acute COVID infection and in many cases, will disappear as the other typical symptoms of COVID-19 resolve. However, Long Hauler / Post COVID Syndrome impairments are much more difficult to understand and to predict. At this time, research in this area is primarily presented in the form of case reports which show us that dizziness complaints do not have a standard progression and recovery pattern. Less common cases involving spinning vertigo can improve quite quickly, particularly with the help of vestibular physiotherapist. However the majority of post COVID dizziness issues appear to last for weeks to months. And due to the recent onset of this pandemic, at this time, many patients have found their symptoms are not resolving at all.
As the pool of Long Haul COVID patients continues to rapidly get larger, the collection of data is also quickly growing. We expect to have more clarity in understanding the long term effects of post COVID dizziness in the near future, and whether patients can recover completely.
Actions For This Page
- Dizziness is often caused by problems of the inner ear and is treatable.
- Common causes of dizziness related to the inner ear include: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo , migraine and inflammation of the inner ear balance apparatus .
- Dizziness may also be caused by other conditions such as low blood pressure and anxiety.
- Vertigo is a type of dizziness that feels as though you or your surroundings are spinning.
Read Also: What Causes Fatigue And No Energy
Standing Up Too Quickly
The medical name for this is orthostatic hypotension, also known as postural hypotension. When you rise from sitting or lying down, blood may not reach your brain fast enough. You might feel lightheaded or dizzy. The feeling should pass in a few minutes. If not, it could be a sign that something more serious may be wrong.
Mal De Debarquement Syndrome
Mal de debarquement, which means “sickness of disembarkment” in French, was originally described by sailors who, after having come ashore, felt as if they were still aboard a rocking ship.
The sensation is quite common in perfectly healthy people who have just stepped off a boat or plane. Most of the time, the condition will resolve in a day or so.
Rarely, it can last for months and even years. The persistent rocking sensation can be made worse when in confined passageways or while viewing contrasting movements, such as turning the head while crossing a busy intersection.
No one quite knows why mal de debarquement persists in some people. While it may take time, the disorder will usually go away on its own.
To date, no study has offered a qualifiable treatment. Some doctors have anecdotally found benefits with anti-depressants and anti-seizure mediations.Motion sickness drugs such as meclizine, scopolamine, and promethazine appear to be less effective.
Also Check: Can Too Much Sleep Cause Fatigue
People More Likely To Develop Long Covid
Some people may be more at risk for developing post-COVID conditions .
Researchers are working to understand which people or groups of people are more likely to have post-COVID conditions, and why. Studies have shown that some groups of people may be affected more by post-COVID conditions. These are examples and not a comprehensive list of people or groups who might be more at risk than other groups for developing post-COVID conditions:
- People who have experienced more severe COVID-19 illness, especially those who were hospitalized or needed intensive care.
- People who had underlying health conditions prior to COVID-19.
- People who did not get a COVID-19 vaccine.
- People who experience multisystem inflammatory syndrome during or after COVID-19 illness.
How Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treated
There’s no known cure for chronic fatigue syndrome, but the symptoms can be treated. Experts suggest focusing on the most disruptive symptoms first, and working with a doctor to manage them:
- Post-exertional malaise. For someone whose symptoms get worse after even mild activity, experts suggest pacing their activities. This means planning for a balance of activity and rest based on what the person feels are their limits. This can be different from one person to the next. Someone with CFS should not be pushed to do more than they feel they can tolerate, as this can lead to a crash, or worsening of symptoms.
- Dizziness. People who get dizzy or feel weak or lightheaded when they sit up or stand might need to drink more fluids, use more salt in their foods, or wear support stockings.
- Sleep problems. Getting good sleep can help someone overcome CFS-related sleep problems.
- Problems with concentration and memory. Finding ways to keep track of important things can help with concentration or memory problems.
- Headaches and stomachaches. Gentle massage and heat may help some people with pain from CFS.
Doctors may also suggest over-the-counter or prescription medicines for some of these symptoms.
Don’t Miss: Fezibo Standing Desk Mat With Anti Fatigue Bar
Damned If You Do Damned If You Dont
Indeed the body is a very sensitive system of organs and an over-flood of any substance may cause temporary or long term effects. Long COVID and Long post-vaccine syndrome are both freshly unfolding concerns with the spike protein as common denominator, and are both being studied and will be for a long time.
Dr. Perry Brimah is a Medical doctor, published medical researcher and a molecular biologist. He writes from New York.
Know Yourself Know Your Triggers
For many people with vestibular disorders, fatigue is an ever-present companion. For others, fatigue only occurs after a vertigo attack. To manage your fatigue successfully, you have to know yourself, what seems to trigger your fatigue, and your energy level patterns. That will enable you to make a plan of action. If you havent already, its a good idea to keep a diary for a few weeks. While you are journaling, keep track of what your energy levels look like day-to-day. Do your energy levels fluctuate ? What can you identify about patterns in your fatigue?
You May Like: How To Heal Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Dizzy Spells May Be Caused By An Inner Ear Problem
One of the most surprising causes of dizziness is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, says Gregory Whitman, MD, an ear and brain specialist with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Balance and Vestibular Center at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital in Massachusetts. Your inner ear contains calcium and protein-based sensing crystals called otoconia, says Dr. Whitman. If these crystals are dislodged and float into your inner ears canals, you may have a brief spinning sensation. Its a simple mechanical problem that can and should be corrected with physical therapy, and not with medication or surgery, says Whitman.
Though BPPV is the most common inner earrelated balance disorder, it affects only about 1 out of 1,000 people per year, according to the Vestibular Disorders Association . And while it can affect adults of any age, this type of vertigo primarily affects older adults. Most cases occur for no apparent reason, but BPPV has been linked to trauma, migraines, inner ear infections, diabetes, and osteoporosis. After treatment, 50 percent of patients may experience the problem again within five years especially if it was the result of trauma, say experts at VEDA.
Central Nervous System Therapies
Until recently, it was thought that chronic dizziness was the result of impaired compensation after an injury. Compensation is the process of recovering normal function through central and peripheral nervous system reorganization in other words, your nervous system adapts to overcome damages associated with the injury. Recent evidence suggests that the recovery process is even more complex and includes changes in the way the brain integrates and processes spatial information. If this is proven to be true, it suggests that a peripheral nervous system disorder can have long-term functional consequences in the central nervous system.
Treatment options that target the central nervous system are currently being tested, with some promising preliminary results. Transcranial cerebellar direct current stimulation was shown to enhance the benefits that physical therapy provides, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment was shown to reduce the frequency and severity of dizziness spells.
Don’t Miss: Can Allergies Cause Fatigue And Body Aches
Long Covid Dizziness Treatment Near Me
Cornerstone Physiotherapy has experts in the management of both dizziness disorders and Long COVID rehabilitation. Our vestibular physiotherapists can offer assessment and treatment in-person and virtually over video telehealth for residents of the province of Ontario. We have clinic locations in Toronto, North York, Burlington and Markham. If you are unsure whether we can help you, contact us for a free 10 minute phone consult with a registered physiotherapist.
REFERENCES:
Jose, RJ, Manuel, A. COVID-19 cytokine storm: the interplay between inflammation and coagulation. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Jun 8:e46-e47.
Trecca, EMC, Gelardi, M, Cassano, M. COVID-19 and hearing difficulties. Am J Otolaryngol. 2020 41:102496. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2020.102496.
Fancello, V, Hatzopoulos, S, Corazzi, V, Bianchini, C, Skaryska, MB, Pelucchi, S, et al. SARS-CoV-2 and audio-vestibular disorders. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2021 35:20587384211027373.
Mao, L, Jin, H, Wang, M, et al. Neurologic manifestations of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan, China. JAMA Neurology. 2020 77:683-690.
Baig, AM, Khaleeq, A, Ali, U, Syeda, H. Evidence of the COVID-19 virus targeting the CNS: Tissue distribution, host-virus interaction, and proposed neurotropic mechanisms. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2020 11:995-998.
Wu, Y, Xu, X, Chen, Z, et al. Nervous system involvement after infection with COVID-19 and other coronaviruses. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 87:18-22.
She Thought Her Dizziness Exhaustion Came From Being A Mom
Please note: This article was published more than two years ago, so some information may be outdated. If you have questions about your health, always contact a health care professional.Lucy Henglefelt’s heart was enlarged and only functioning at 10%, causing her to go into heart failure.
Their young sons in bed, Lucy Henglefelt and her husband, Adam, were cleaning their Sioux Falls, South Dakota, home to put it on the market. A real estate agent was coming the next day to take pictures.
But Lucy reached a stopping point. She occasionally got dizzy and often was near exhaustion, and now she needed to lay down.
Later that night, she couldn’t catch her breath, saying it felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest. She tried walking to the bathroom and back, about 20 steps away, and was completely winded.
Adam called a nursing hotline for help. Their advice was to get to an emergency room right away because she may have a blood clot in one of her lungs.
At the hospital, doctors indeed discovered two blood clots in her right lung. But testing revealed a bigger issue.
“Lucy, your heart is only functioning at 10% right now,” a doctor told her. “Your heart is very enlarged, and you’re in heart failure.”
Doctors said they were amazed she could even walk or get out of bed. The 28-year-old small business owner couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“At this point, I’m doing like 25 weddings a year and have two little kids that I’m fully in charge of at home,” she said.
Also Check: Muscle And Joint Pain With Fatigue
Common Causes Of Dizziness
The most common causes of dizziness are outlined below.
- Labyrinthitis an inner ear infection that affects your hearing and balance, and can lead to a severe form of dizziness called vertigo.
- Migraine dizziness may come on before or after the headache, or even without the headache.
- Stress or anxiety particularly if you tend to hyperventilate .
- Low blood sugar level which is usually seen in people with diabetes.
- Postural hypotension a sudden fall in blood pressure when you suddenly sit or stand up, which goes away after lying down. This is more common in older people.
- Dehydration or heat exhaustion dehydration could be due to not drinking enough during exercise, or illness that causes vomiting, diarrhoea or fever.
- Vertebrobasilar insufficiency decreased blood flow in the back of the brain, which may be caused by the blood vessels that lead to the brain from the heart being blocked .
As A Secondary Symptom From Covids Effects On Other Organs
In some cases, the issues with dizziness and imbalance are not related to problems with the vestibular system, but rather from the health issues related to other affected body parts. Muscle weakness, poorer coordination, effects on blood pressure and extreme fatigue can certainly cause balance and dizziness symptoms.
Read Also: Extreme Fatigue After Eating Carbs
What Are Post Covid Dizziness Symptoms
The long haul symptoms associated with COVID-19 are varied and numerous. However the most common symptoms related specifically to dizziness and vestibular issues are reported as below. Note that you may only have one or a few of these symptoms.
- Generalized dizziness. Some report feeling drunk or tipsy but without having any alcohol.
- Lightheaded-ness or a floating feeling
- Vertigo or a spinning sensation, particularly when looking up or down, or lying on your side
- A sensation of swaying or rocking when sitting or lying, or after a quick motion
- Poor balance when standing or changing positions
- Problems walking in a straight line or in busy areas such as a shopping mall
- Nausea or vomiting
When To See A Doctor
People who have warning signs, those whose symptoms are severe or have been continuous for over an hour, and those with vomiting should go to a hospital right away. Other people should see their doctor as soon as possible. People who had a single, brief , mild episode with no other symptoms may choose to wait and see whether they have another episode.
Read Also: Dizzy Shortness Of Breath Fatigue
How Do I Stop Vertigo Attacks
There are a few steps you can take to reduce your risk for vertigo. These include:
- Taking extra time to stand up, turn your head or perform other triggering movements.
- Sleeping with your head elevated on two pillows.
- Sitting down as soon as you feel dizzy.
- Squatting instead of bending over when picking something up.
American Heart Association News Stories
American Heart Association News covers heart disease, stroke and related health issues. Not all views expressed in American Heart Association News stories reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Statements, conclusions, accuracy and reliability of studies published in American Heart Association scientific journals or presented at American Heart Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the American Heart Associations official guidance, policies or positions.
Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, for individuals, media outlets, and non-commercial education and awareness efforts to link to, quote, excerpt or reprint from these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to American Heart Association News.
Other uses, including educational products or services sold for profit, must comply with the American Heart Associations Copyright Permission Guidelines. See full terms of use. These stories may not be used to promote or endorse a commercial product or service.
You May Like: Does Low White Blood Count Cause Fatigue
