Waking Up Dizzy
Do you occasionally suffer from bouts of dizziness when you wake up in the morning? Is your dizziness a recurring problem when you wake up in the middle of the night? If yes, it is not peculiar to you. People from all walks of life are in your shoes. Does that mean you should give it free rein? That’s not the case. If you have a better understanding of the causes and potential effects on you, you will know how to handle it better. That’s exactly the objective of this post. When you have read through the post, you will conveniently identify what triggers waking up dizzy and the effective steps you can take to overcome the problem.
Let’s consider some important fact about dizziness, starting from its meaning.
What is dizziness?
Dizziness is a health condition that gives people some strange feelings like being lightheaded and weak. In some cases, this may be accompanied by fainting, feeling unsteady, or woozy. It creates the false impression that your surrounding is spinning, making you lose your balance. It is the commonest reason why many adults pay unscheduled visits to their doctors. The good news is dizziness is not a terminal disease.
Although it is not life-threatening, dizziness is usually accompanied by:
- Blurred vision: As a result of the spinning, you will find it difficult having a clear view of objects around you. Some objects may be completely blurred while others may be duplicated.
- Sweating: Sweating is usually caused by the anxiety that stemmed from concerns over one’s health.
- Inability to walk straight: a spinning head doesn’t encourage good stability. Without stability, walking becomes nearly impossible.
- Fainting: Some people experience fainting as a result of dizziness. This is common in pregnant women and older ones.
- The combination of these symptoms may result in accidental falls that may be injurious to you.
Waking up dizzy in the Morning
Some people can easily regain their strength after a sound night sleep. These people may wake up in the morning with dynamic energy, moving up and down with little or no effort. Others, however, may find it a bit difficult to muster up enough strength to embark on their daily activities after a good night sleep. The latter case is a source of concern if such lack of strength is accompanied by dizziness. It is a sign of something more serious. What can be responsible for feeling dizzy every morning? Why do you wake up feeling sick?
This condition can be attributed to some causes which are stated below:
Abnormal blood glucose levels
Abnormal blood glucose causes dizziness by creating enabling conditions through:
- Diabetes Mellitus: Diabetic patients are at the risk of having occasional fits of dizziness. This is due to some changes in their glucose levels early in the morning.
- Hypoglycemia: This health condition is common in people who have a hard time controlling their blood glucose levels within a small range. Such individuals experience low blood glucose at while sleeping since they don’t eat while sleeping. The result is dizziness upon waking up in the morning.
Low or high oxygen levels
You may suffer from low blood oxygen levels in the morning as a result of some blood abnormalities, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Some of these diseases are:
- Anemia: This is caused by low hemoglobin levels in the body. When this combines with low heart rate and reduced blood pressure during sleep, dizziness is inevitable.
- Sleep apnea: Sleep apnea is a health condition that is characterized by the momentary halting of breathing while sleeping. This can lead to low blood oxygen levels upon waking in the morning.
Inner ear disturbances
The ears naturally house the organs of balance in the body. When these organs become dysfunctional for whatever reason, it is an invitation to dizziness.
Pregnancy
Morning dizziness is common to pregnant women, especially during the first trimester. This dizziness occurs due to increase in the hormones that cause the blood vessels in pregnant women to widen and relax. As a result, the blood flow to the baby will increase while blood return to the mother is reduced. The effect of the low blood flow is reduced blood pressure which may cause dizziness. Although it is common in the first trimester, pregnant women can experience dizziness at any stage of their pregnancy.
Postural hypotension
This is a condition of sudden low blood pressure that you may experience when you sit or stand up. This is the common cause of dizziness in adults and it is usually corrected by lying down.
Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm problem that is usually characterized by irregular heart racing. When the heart beats irregularly, you can’t avoid feeling dizzy.
Dehydration
Dehydration may cause dizziness due to a shortage of enough liquid in the body. The shortage may be due to some factors such as illness, fever, drinking insufficient water during exercise, and much more. Feeling dizzy is your body’s reaction to dehydration.
Headaches and migraines
If you have a migraine, it increases the chances of feeling dizzy occasionally. You may have the feeling before or after the headache or migraine.
Insomnia
Lack of adequate sleep through insomnia is an invitation to dizziness. When the body lacks the adequate rest it needs through quality sleep, it will suffer some deprivation which may result in feeling dizzy.
These are some of the common causes of morning dizziness. While this may make you uneasy, it shouldn’t be of serious concern unless it is a daily occurrence with other feelings such as lack of coordination, poor balance, or loss of balance which may ultimately result in occasional fainting.
Waking up dizzy at night
Many people believe that dizziness can be experienced during the day only, that’s far from the truth. Sometimes, you may wake up in the middle of night feeling dizzy; you can’t walk straight, even while you eyes are closed. You may feel like falling or fainting while trying to stand up. Don’t panic. Night dizziness has the same causes and symptoms with morning dizziness. As such, it also shares a common solution. What is the solution to dizziness?
How to Stop feeling Dizzy and Tired
Since we’ve known the different causes of dizziness, how can you prevent this feeling from taking its toll on your health? These are some tested and proven tips that will help you put dizziness under control:
You can overcome dizziness in many ways according to the causes. Look at the list below and see some awesome ways you can eliminate or reduce the effects of dizziness on you.
Reduce your anxiety or stress
Breathing rates and other hormonal changes may be caused by high levels of anxiety or stress. This can lead to dizziness or nausea. To overcome dizziness induced by stress or anxiety, find the source of the problem and eliminate it. Think of whatever subjects you to stress and put a permanent stop to it.
Drink more water
This suggestion is effective in handling dizziness that is caused by dehydration. If you can drink about 8 glasses or 2 – 3 liters of water daily, it will replenish lost fluid due to sickness or hot weather. Alcohol and some beverages containing caffeine should be avoided.
Eat easily digestible food
This is the perfect solution to treating dizziness that arises from low blood sugar levels. Consider including ripe bananas, apple, and other sweet fruit in your diet. They will provide the right glucose to neutralize your low blood sugar levels. That will prevent you from becoming a victim of dizziness.
Stand up slowly
If you are aged and suffer from hypotension-induced dizziness, standing up slowly while lying down is the solution to the problem. If you are in lying position, gradually sit up before standing up. This gradual transition will prevent dizziness.
Get enough sleep
If lack of adequate sleep is the culprit, increasing the quantity and quality of your sleep will do the magic. Remove any obstacles that will prevent you from having enough sound sleep at night. Turn off the TV, mobile devices, and other electronic devices that may interrupt your sleep.
Consider healthy eating
While getting enough sleep and drinking enough liquid are good suggestions, complementing that with healthy eating will be wonderful. Include foods that will help you reverse the effects of dehydration and antidepressants. You should also include foods that will help you regulate your blood sugar or blood glucose levels. The reversal of the negative effects of some medications and regulation of the glucose and sugar levels will put you in good shape to permanently put dizzy feeling behind you.
The suggestions above are practical in simple cases where the problem can effectively be handled alone. In extreme cases, other drastic measures should be taken to nip this condition in the nub. What are some of these extreme cases? These are a handful of them:
Dizziness During Pregnancy
Feeling dizzy during pregnancy is common to women. If your experience is like one of these women, the following useful suggestions will help you scale through:
- Avoid prolonged standing: If you have an absolute need to stand for long, always keep your feet in motion to stimulate increased blood circulation.
- Don’t allow too much waiting periods between your meals. Eat regularly by snacking as much as possible throughout the day. Remember to drink enough water too. This will prevent dizziness as a result of dehydration.
- Tight-fitting clothes will hinder the free flow of blood through your body. Therefore, wear loose clothing to make circulation easy.
- You should avoid hot showers at all costs. It will provide an environment that is conducive to the stimulation of dizziness.
Seek medical attention
This suggestion is very important if your dizziness is recurring and all efforts to control it using the suggestions above have proved futile. You should consult competent medical personnel that can offer both preventive and corrective medications and suggestions that will put dizziness at bay. This may include doing the following:
- Check your blood pressure: since both hypertension and hypotension can cause dizziness, checking your blood pressure is a good way to combat the illness. If your blood pressure is below or above the ideal reading, your physician will help you adjust it to the normal level.
- Check your blood sugar level: Both low blood sugar and high blood sugar can cause dizziness. In order to know the real cause, consult your doctor for a proper test.
- Consult an ER/ET: What if your dizziness occurs while lying down with your eyes close? If you occasionally experience such, Dr. Arun Phalophia, MD, suggested that you go for ER evaluation. This is especially so if you have a history of high blood pressure, migraine, diabetes, and ear issues. To rule out dysfunctional internal ear, he suggests consulting an ET specialist for a thorough test.
- Check your medication: Speak with your doctor and find out whether the feeling is connected to your medication. You should take this step because some antidepressants are known to stimulate dizziness. If they are responsible, your doctor will decide whether to stop using the medication or reducing the dose will help you cure it.
Conclusion
I believe that the information in this article will help you to overcome the challenges of dizziness successfully. While dizziness is not life-threatening, the effects can endanger your life. Falling down due to dizziness may cause some minor or major injuries. Fainting while on motion or operating a mechanical or electrical device may be dangerous. These possible dangerous examples should be prevented.
To prevent such an unfortunate incidence, you can implement these effective tips here to prevent or eliminate the effects on your health. The suggestions here have been used by thousands of people to bring their condition under perfect control. I strongly believe that you will find it effective too.
While I have tried to give you a comprehensive discussion on the causes and prevention of dizziness, I may have accidentally overlooked some important tips that you’ve found helpful. If you do, kindly include that in the comment section below. Other people who are battling dizziness may find your suggestion useful.