When we suffer from anxiety, high levels of stress can cause our body to react to it by manifesting various psychosomatic symptoms, among which it is possible to find dizziness, which can sometimes be truly intense and disabling. Given this, it is necessary to identify that the dizziness is really the result of anxiety and, subsequently, the causes of said anxiety must be identified and try to reduce it so that the dizziness also disappears.
In these cases, the person may also experience lightheadedness and weakness after going through a stressful or distressing situation. In the following Psychology-Online article we will talk about the Anxiety dizziness: what they are like, symptoms, causes and treatment.
Symptoms of dizziness due to anxiety
Dizziness is one of the most feared symptoms of anxiety, since the person who suffers from it has no control over it. At the time of dizziness, you usually notice that the body is weak and you may even experience loss of stability and faint. In these cases, the body may also experience a drop in tension or associated dizziness, as well as feelings of shame.
People who suffer from dizziness due to anxiety They usually experience the following symptoms:
- Feeling of dizziness that appears suddenly.
- Sensation that everything is spinning around you or that everything is moving.
- Daze.
- Intense generalized weakness.
- Instability.
- Tremors.
- Increased heart rate.
- Alteration of psychomotor functions. In some severe cases, the person may even faint.
All these negative emotions So intense they can cause our body to react to possible danger by feeling dizzy, in addition to other symptoms such as excessive sweating, rapid pulse, muscle tension or difficulties breathing normally, among others.
On the other hand, the duration of dizziness due to anxiety is variable, and can last from hours to days. Additionally, you may also experience a non-stop feeling of dizziness.
How to identify dizziness due to anxiety
Below, we will mention some factors that can help us identify if dizziness is caused by anxiety or, on the contrary, is due to other types of physical causes that must be diagnosed by a professional doctor:
- There is no biological cause Let it be behind the dizziness.
- Anxiety dizziness is experienced continuously and they last over time.
- The feeling of dizziness appears after experiences that raise our anxiety level.
- Making sudden movements can cause certain motion sensitivity.
- You experience a feeling of lightheadedness and a lack of reaction both physically and mentally.
- If the anxiety is intense, these dizziness may also be accompanied by balance and motor system problemseven becoming unable to carry out normal daily activities.
Other symptoms that can help you know if you suffer from anxiety are those we detail in the article.
Main causes of dizziness due to anxiety
As we have mentioned previously, our mind has the ability to cause some physical symptoms in situations that we perceive as dangerous or negative. The main factors that can cause dizziness and make it persist over time are:
Breathingon
High anxiety levels cause alteration in breathing, which becomes more accelerated, choppy or superficial. When our respiratory rate increases we can suffer from hyperventilation, which means that more oxygen enters our body than we need and carbon dioxide decreases.
This imbalance causes our body to try to balance the pH of the blood, which becomes alkaline and this can give us that feeling of dizziness, in addition to other symptoms such as weakness, blurred vision, tingling, etc.
Fear and high tension
When we feel fear, our heart rate increases and, with it, our blood pressure. Once the moment of anguish and stress has passed, our body reduces blood pressure to balance itthis is when many people may experience dizziness and a feeling of confusion.
Muscle tension
This type of tension also can promote the appearance of dizziness because of anxiety. When faced with situations that cause us fear or anxiety, our muscles tense as a defense or escape mechanism. This tension has repercussions on our mind and can cause dizziness to appear.
mental overload
Being constantly in a position of alert and distress causes great energy expenditure. In turn, this can cause great mental fatigue and general weaknesswhich may also be accompanied by a feeling of dizziness, confusion, apathy, difficulty reacting, etc.
How to avoid dizziness due to anxiety
Dizziness due to anxiety is not a symptom of serious danger and it is necessary to remain calm when it appears so as not to worsen the situation. Some of the tips that can help us avoid dizziness due to anxiety and reduce the stress levels that can cause it are:
- Be aware that They are not dangerous in themselves and that the feeling of dizziness and lightheadedness will disappear when we relax and stop being tense. Thus, if we become distressed by the severity of dizziness, our anxiety levels may increase even more instead of decreasing.
- Do breathing exercises: Learning to help us have better oxygenation and reduce hyperventilation.
- Relaxation techniques: An excellent solution for dizziness due to anxiety is to learn to perform Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation technique, since with it, you not only reduce anxiety and stress, but you learn to control all the muscles in the body to avoid an excessive muscular tension that often goes unnoticed by us because it is continuous.
- Not paying much attention to the feeling of dizziness: When this sensation appears, we must ask ourselves: can I continue doing what I was doing, even if it is in a calmer way? If we downplay and reduce vigilance about the symptom, our mental load will also decrease and, consequently, we will be able to continue to be functional and carry out daily activities normally.
- To do physical exercise: Physical activity can help us reduce anxiety levels and improve our mood because we release endorphins during its practice.
- Get rid of negative thoughts and catastrophists will also help us combat anxiety and feel better on an emotional level.
It is important to try to have the basic needs covered to enjoy optimal health, including eating a healthy and balanced diet, drinking water frequently during the day and resting a minimum of 8 hours a day.
Treatment of dizziness due to anxiety
The treatment of dizziness due to anxiety does not require anything other than treat the underlying problem which, in this case, is none other than anxiety. Therefore, when the anxiety stops, the dizziness will stop appearing.
Anxiety is a normal reaction of the body that appears in stressful situations, uncertainty or anguish. However, when this reaction causes functional deterioration and interferes in the different areas of our life, that is when we may be suffering from an anxiety disorder and it becomes mandatory to receive help and psychological treatment. Medical treatment for anxiety typically includes the following:
- Psychotherapy: The symptoms of anxiety are reduced and the causes of it are found through cognitive-behavioral therapy.
- Pharmacotherapy: Antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications may be prescribed to relieve the physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety.
The treatment of dizziness due to anxiety has to be multidisciplinary to address both physical ailments and the symptoms associated with stress and anxiety through psychotherapy. In cases of dizziness due to anxiety, psychological therapy will consist of train relaxation techniques and, in addition to addressing associated cognitive alterations and treating social problems or skills if necessary.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- American psychiatric association, (2014). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM – 5. Madrid, Spain. Pan-American medical publishing house.
- Belloch, A., Sandín, B., Ramos, F., (2009). Manual of psychopathology, volume II. Madrid. McGraw Hill / Interamericana de España, SAU
- Ezpeleta, L. and Toro, J. (coords.) (2016). Developmental psychopathology. Madrid: Ed. Pirámide.