Dizziness when lying down

The Ambivalence of Dizziness

When people say dizziness, they usually encompass a wide range of different conditions. For example, dizziness may stand for vertigo, feeling of fainting, fatigue, weakness, feeling lightheaded, lost or trembling etc. Thus people can feel dizzy in various situations. Nevertheless, the following lines will deal with the problems related to dizziness upon lying down.

Reasons behind Dizziness When Lying Down

This type of dizziness affects people both once they start lowering their body into a horizontal position and when they start getting out of bed. Upon getting up, turning one's body around may only lead to an increase of the intensity of the dizziness. Inner ear damage or illness is the most common cause of this problem. However, there are many other health issues which can also trigger this type of dizziness.

Benign paroxymal positional vertigo, or shortly BPPV is the feeling which we describe as “the world around us is spinning”. We feel unsteady and have troubles controlling our balance. Also, while lying down, we might feel nauseous. Luckily, BPPV lasts for several minutes only. Moreover, it takes place once small particles in the labyrinths in our inner ear get loose. These particles move around the inner ear and trigger the symptoms.

Another possible cause of this problem can be orthostatic hypotension. Basically, this condition manifests through drastic, abrupt, changes in our blood pressure, taking place when we move from lying to sitting or standing positions. This condition can affect both younger and older people.

Alternatively, dizziness while lying down may be triggered by Meniere's disease. Usually, this condition affects people who are already suffering from the previously mentioned causes. Meniere's disease adds hearing loss, headaches, tinnitus, ringing in ears and many other problems to the previously mentioned health problems.

There are cases where medications may have this type of dizziness as a side-effect. Sleeping pills, antihistamines, blood pressure medications and some other drugs may trigger dizziness during the initial stages of consumption, due to the body's efforts to accommodate to the effects. Blurred vision can accompany dizziness when it is caused by medications.

Being anxious can make you prone to hyperventilation, panic attacks and feeling lightheaded. Thus, the combination of these symptoms may lead to dizziness while lying down or getting up. Also, when we reach our old age, our nervous system gradually deteriorates. This too can trigger dizziness in certain situations, especially when we are lying down.

Finally, alcohol and drug abuse are known to be the possible culprits behind this problem.

Possible Treatments for Dizziness While Lying Down

Keep in mind that this condition may appear every now and then, ceasing to strike in the meantime. However, if you are bothered by dizziness too often, you are best to seek proper medical attention, especially when your dizziness is combined with other symptoms such as those mentioned above.