Causes

By Mayo Clinic Staff

The causes of dizziness are as varied as the ways it makes people feel. It can result from something as simple as motion sickness — the queasy feeling that you get on twisting roads and roller coasters. Or it could be due to various other treatable health conditions or medicine side effects. Very rarely, dizziness may stem from infection, injury or conditions that reduce blood flow to the brain. Sometimes healthcare professionals can't find a cause.

In general, dizziness that happens without any other symptoms is not likely to be a symptom of a stroke.

Inner ear problems

Dizziness often is caused by conditions that affect the balance organ in the inner ear. Inner ear conditions also can cause vertigo, the sense that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving. Examples of such conditions include:

  1. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
  2. Migraine
  3. Meniere's disease
  4. Balance problems

Reduced blood flow

Dizziness can be caused if your brain doesn't receive enough blood. This can happen for reasons such as:

  1. Arteriosclerosis / atherosclerosis
  2. Anemia
  3. Overheating or not being well hydrated
  4. Hypoglycemia
  5. Heart arrhythmia
  6. Orthostatic hypotension (postural hypotension)
  7. Stroke
  8. Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Certain medicines

Some types of medicines cause dizziness as a side effect, including some types of:

  1. Antidepressants
  2. Anti-seizure medicines
  3. Medicines to control high blood pressure
  4. Sedatives
  5. Tranquilizers

Other causes of dizziness

  1. Carbon monoxide poisoning
  2. Concussion
  3. Depression (major depressive disorder)
  4. Generalized anxiety disorder
  5. Motion sickness: First aid
  6. Panic attacks and panic disorder

Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

We use the data you provide to deliver you the content you requested. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, we may combine your email and website data with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, we will only use your protected health information as outlined in our Notice of Privacy Practices. You may opt out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.

Sept. 26, 2024

See also

  1. Acoustic neuroma
  2. Agoraphobia
  3. Anaphylaxis
  4. Anaphylaxis: First aid
  5. Anemia
  6. Angina
  7. Anhidrosis
  8. Anorexia nervosa
  9. Aplastic anemia
  10. Aspirin allergy
  11. Autonomic neuropathy
  12. Bee sting
  13. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
  14. Blood tests for heart disease
  15. Video: Septal myectomy and apical myectomy
  16. Bump on the head: When is it a serious head injury?
  17. Calcium supplements: A risk factor for heart attack?
  18. Can vitamins help prevent a heart attack?
  19. Carbon monoxide poisoning
  20. Cardiac MRI animation
  21. Cardiomyopathy
  22. Kinser's story
  23. Carotid artery disease
  24. Chelation therapy for heart disease: Does it work?
  25. Chest pain
  26. Chiari malformation
  27. Concussion
  28. Concussion in children
  29. Concussion Recovery
  30. Concussion Telemedicine
  31. Congenital heart disease in adults
  32. Coronary artery spasm: Cause for concern?
  33. Cough headaches
  34. Craving and chewing ice: A sign of anemia?
  35. CSF leak (Cerebrospinal fluid leak)
  36. Cyclic vomiting syndrome
  37. Daily aspirin therapy
  38. Dehydration
  39. Diabetic neuropathy
  40. Diabetic neuropathy and dietary supplements
  41. Types of diabetic neuropathy
  42. Dilated cardiomyopathy
  43. Drug addiction (substance use disorder)
  44. Drug allergy
  45. Drummer Beats Heart Disease
  46. Dumping syndrome
  47. Egg allergy
  48. Eisenmenger syndrome
  49. Enlarged heart
  50. Essential thrombocythemia
  51. Fasting diet: Can it improve my heart health?
  52. Fibromuscular dysplasia
  53. Flu Shot Prevents Heart Attack
  54. Flu shots and heart disease
  55. Food poisoning
  56. Genetics and Cardiomyopathy
  57. Grass-fed beef
  58. Hangovers
  59. Healthy Heart for Life!
  60. Heart and Blood Health
  61. Heart attack
  62. Heart attack prevention: Should I avoid secondhand smoke?
  63. Heart attack symptoms
  64. Heart Attack Timing
  65. Heart disease
  66. Heart disease in women: Understand symptoms and risk factors
  67. Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease
  68. Heart murmurs
  69. Heat exhaustion
  70. Hidden Heart Attack
  71. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  72. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy HCM
  73. Intracranial hematoma
  74. Iron deficiency anemia
  75. Jellyfish stings
  76. Left ventricular hypertrophy
  77. Menstrual cramps
  78. Menus for heart-healthy eating
  79. Mitral valve prolapse
  80. New Test for Preeclampsia
  81. Nighttime panic attacks: What causes them?
  82. NSAIDs: Do they increase my risk of heart attack and stroke?
  83. Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health
  84. Omega-3 in fish
  85. Omega-6 fatty acids
  86. Pacemaker and ICDs
  87. Panic attacks and panic disorder
  88. Paraneoplastic syndromes of the nervous system
  89. Peanut allergy
  90. Penicillin allergy
  91. Pericardial effusion
  92. Peripheral nerve tumors
  93. Persistent post-concussive symptoms (Post-concussion syndrome)
  94. Polycythemia vera
  95. Polypill: Does it treat heart disease?
  96. Poppy seed tea: Beneficial or dangerous?
  97. Post COVID syndrome
  98. Preeclampsia
  99. Progressive supranuclear palsy
  100. Pseudotumor cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension)
  101. Radiation sickness
  102. Red wine, antioxidants and resveratrol
  103. Rhabdomyolysis
  104. Robotic or minimally invasive cardiac surgery for adult-adolescent congenital heart disease
  105. SCAD 2 Social Media as a Lifesaving Link
  106. Scleroderma
  107. Shellfish allergy
  108. Silent heart attack
  109. Spider bites
  110. Spinal headaches
  111. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)
  112. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)
  113. Heart disease prevention
  114. Sudden cardiac arrest
  115. Sudden death in young people: Heart problems often blamed
  116. Sulfa allergy
  117. Takayasu's arteritis
  118. Thrombocytosis
  119. Traumatic brain injury
  120. Traumatic Brain Injury
  121. Ventricular tachycardia
  122. What is ventricular tachycardia?
  123. Cardiac ablation: treatment for ventricular tachycardia
  124. Vertigo
  125. Video: Heart and circulatory system
  126. Viral hemorrhagic fevers
  127. Vitamin deficiency anemia
  128. Wheat allergy
  129. Whiplash
  130. Xylazine