Vertigo Symptoms: 13 Signs You May Have Vertigo

Vertigo is an unpleasant condition often characterized by sensations of rotation or movement, disorientation, and imbalance, which surpasses merely feeling dizzy or lightheaded. These symptoms significantly impact one's perception of stability, making even familiar environments seem disconcerting. Numerous factors contribute to vertigo, each with a variety of potential symptoms depending on the underlying cause.According to Everyday Health, vertigo frequently originates from inner ear disorders. One prevalent cause is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), a condition where small calcium particles accumulate in the ear canals, leading to episodes of vertigo. Another notable cause is Meniere’s disease, associated with fluid accumulation and pressure within the ear, as reported by WebMD. Additionally, vestibular neuritis, an inner ear nerve infection, can also precipitate vertigo.These root causes disrupt the body's equilibrium, resulting in transient feelings of unsteadiness and dizziness that can last approximately 20 seconds and recur, particularly when the head is moved. Understanding the common triggers of vertigo is essential for identification and management of this challenging condition.

1. Distorted Balance

Vertigo is characterized primarily by the sensation of the environment spinning around an individual, according to WebMD. Sufferers may also experience feelings of tilt, sway, or a seemingly forceful pull, contributing to a significant loss of balance. Consequently, this compromised stability can manifest in challenges with ambulation. UCSF Health refers to this as ataxic gait, where individuals might find it demanding to navigate in a straight path or manage turns smoothly, often displaying a deficiency in coordination and precision. Support from objects when standing and constant visual grounding may be necessitated to judge the position of the ground, as noted by Veda.

2. Migraine Headaches

Vertigo often leads to a sensation of unsteadiness and a perception that one's surroundings are spinning, which may contribute to the onset of severe migraine headaches. These symptoms can be attributed to the underlying factors causing vertigo, such as the accumulation of fluid or calcium deposits that disrupt normal balance.

3. Nausea

Individuals may experience intense nausea when encountering a loss of equilibrium, often attributable to sensations of spinning or tumbling. Vertigo, in its more acute forms, can lead to vomiting.

4. Ringing in the Ears

WebMD highlights that individuals experiencing vertigo may also endure symptoms of tinnitus, characterized by persistent and potentially disruptive noises such as ringing, buzzing, or whooshing in the ears. This condition can intensify over time, evolving into a constant and more pronounced buzzing sound.

5. Fatigue

Vertigo often leads to a sense of imbalance that many individuals experience as physically draining. The unpredictability of its onset and the duration of episodes can result in considerable physical and emotional strain, contributing to heightened levels of stress and fatigue.

6. Sweating

Experiencing a vertigo episode can lead to significant discomfort, including the abrupt emergence of panic symptoms and substantial sweating, which commonly affects the forehead, head, neck, and chest regions. This may also extend to a sensation of clamminess and chills throughout the body as the episode progresses.

7. Hearing Loss

Vertigo, particularly when associated with Meniere's disease, has been known to lead to a gradual decline in hearing capacity, predominantly at low frequencies and usually in one ear. Individuals may experience a diminished quality of sound, perceiving it as "tinny," and may find loud sounds to be discomforting. Over time, hearing loss can worsen, potentially resulting in total deafness in the impacted ear.

8. Twitching Eyes

The Mayo Clinic identifies nystagmus, characterized by irregular eye movements, as a prevalent symptom associated with vertigo, particularly with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). This condition is often attributed to exhaustion and stress, leading to temporary spasms of the eyelid muscles. These spasms may persist from several hours to a few days. Adequate rest is recommended to mitigate the twitching of the eye muscles.

9. Ear Pressure

A sensation of aural fullness, characterized by pressure within the ear, can arise due to fluctuations in barometric pressure that coincide with the onset of vertigo. It is frequently experienced during changes in altitude, such as when an individual is descending in an airplane and experiences shifts in the surrounding atmospheric pressure.

10. Panic Attacks

Patients experiencing vertigo often report episodes of panic attacks, which may arise without warning and persist for approximately 30 minutes, leaving them feeling significantly fatigued.

11. Double Vision

Everyday Health identifies two primary forms of vertigo: peripheral vertigo, predominantly originating from inner ear complications, and central vertigo, which results from brain malfunctions potentially linked to injuries, medications, and other factors. Central vertigo can present additional symptoms such as double vision or challenges in eye movement.

WebMD elaborates that involuntary eye movements associated with vertigo may subside when focusing on a stationary object and typically diminish within the initial days of onset. Furthermore, UCSF Health notes that individuals with vertigo may experience blurred vision, a condition known as diplopia.

12. Difficulty Swallowing and Speaking

Central vertigo is associated with a range of neurological symptoms, including dysarthria—characterized by slurred speech and swallowing difficulties, as reported by UCSF Health. According to WebMD, it is common for individuals experiencing central vertigo to also present with headaches, weakness, and trouble swallowing, amongst other symptoms.

13. Weakness and Numbness

In conclusion, central vertigo can also manifest as weakness and numbness, particularly noted with symptoms such as facial paralysis and weakened limbs according to detailed insights provided by Everyday Health.

14. How Long Does It Last?

Vertigo manifests uniquely in each individual, influenced by its underlying cause as outlined by the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms are transient, typically persisting for less than one minute. The condition, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, can enter periods of remission, only to re-emerge later. Triggers for symptom recurrence vary but often involve alterations in head posture. Additionally, some individuals may experience a sense of imbalance while standing or ambulating.