Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Vertigo?Stress & VertigoCan Stress Cause Dizziness?Impact of Stress and VertigoDiagnosisTreatmentCopingSummary

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Vertigo?

Stress & Vertigo

Can Stress Cause Dizziness?

Impact of Stress and Vertigo

Diagnosis

Treatment

Coping

Summary

Close

Yes, in some cases, people living with chronic stress reportvertigoor dizziness when in stressful situations. This may lead someone to believe that their stress is causing them to lose their balance and coordination.

This article explores the connection between stress and vertigo and what you should do if you exhibit signs of either or both conditions.

Understanding Illyngophobia aka the Fear of Vertigo

What’s the Connection Between Stress and Vertigo?

In some cases, people report feeling vertigosymptoms when stressed. This caused researchers and scientists to explore if there was a link between both conditions.

Research reveals that while stress might not directly cause vertigo, it may affect your vestibular system (the part of your inner ear that regulates balance and coordination),triggering vertigo. When your vestibular system is disrupted, it can cause vertigo.

By some estimates, up to 5% of adults in the United States report experiencing vertigo when they are stressed or anxious.

When stressed, particular hormones such ascortisol becomes elevated. A rise in these stress hormones can potentially disrupt your vestibular system. In a 2016 study, researchers observed that a group withMénière’sdisease, which causes vertigo, experienced fewer symptoms when theirvasopressin(a stress hormone) levels were lowered.

Dizziness and vertigo are two terms often used interchangeably. However, they are distinct sensations.

DizzinessThis can feel like lightheadednessFeeling unsteady or wobblyVertigoA person may feel like they’re movingSomeone may that the world is moving around them

DizzinessThis can feel like lightheadednessFeeling unsteady or wobbly

This can feel like lightheadedness

Feeling unsteady or wobbly

VertigoA person may feel like they’re movingSomeone may that the world is moving around them

A person may feel like they’re moving

Someone may that the world is moving around them

Living withchronic stressfor an extended period can significantly affect your overall well-being. Conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, obesity, and sleep disorders have all been linked to chronic stress.

Stress May Not Be the Cause of Your VertigoIf you’ve been experiencing stress-induced vertigo, it may be a forewarning that your stress levels are critically high. Your vertigo may also not necessarily be linked to stress. Other underlying conditions such as diabetes, head injuries, low blood pressure, and multiple sclerosis have been linked to vertigo.

Stress May Not Be the Cause of Your Vertigo

If you’ve been experiencing stress-induced vertigo, it may be a forewarning that your stress levels are critically high. Your vertigo may also not necessarily be linked to stress. Other underlying conditions such as diabetes, head injuries, low blood pressure, and multiple sclerosis have been linked to vertigo.

Diagnosis of Stress and Vertigo

There are no specific diagnostic criteria for stress. When stressed, you can experience a variety of symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, mood changes, trouble sleeping, and difficulty concentrating.

Dix-Hallpike Test

Doctors may use the Dix-Hallpike test to diagnose positional vertigo. The test involves being put in a position that could trigger your vertigo. When you begin exhibiting symptoms of vertigo, they’ll examine your eyes for any indication of vertigo. It’s used to diagnose a common benign cause of vertigo.

Treatment of Stress and Vertigo

Going to see a doctor when experiencing stress-induced vertigo is crucial. This is because other underlying conditions (aside from stress) could be responsible for your vertigo.

However, if your vertigo is linked to stress, treating your stress is key to stopping your vertigo symptoms.

Psychotherapy

One of the most evidence based forms of psychotherapy for managing stress iscognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT). One study also revealed that CBT can effectively help manage dizziness symptoms.

Coping With Stress and Vertigo

If you’ve been experiencing stress-induced vertigo, lowering your stress levels is the best way to manage both conditions.

Managing Stress

Some of the best ways tomanage your stress levelsinclude:

Managing Vertigo

There are also ways for you to manage your vertigo to prevent it from significantly affecting your daily functioning.

What to Do When You Experience VertigoIf you’re experiencing vertigo, try the following:Staying stationary until the sensation passesKeeping your body well-hydrated throughout the dayAvoiding foods and drinks such as caffeine and energy drinks that can make you feel “wired"Avoiding bending over to do things like pick up a package; squat instead

What to Do When You Experience Vertigo

If you’re experiencing vertigo, try the following:Staying stationary until the sensation passesKeeping your body well-hydrated throughout the dayAvoiding foods and drinks such as caffeine and energy drinks that can make you feel “wired"Avoiding bending over to do things like pick up a package; squat instead

If you’re experiencing vertigo, try the following:

While stress doesn’t directly cause vertigo, it can trigger chemical changes in your body, potentially affecting your vestibular system. Your vestibular system is responsible for managing your balance and coordination. When it’s thrown off, symptoms such as vertigo and dizziness can sometimes occur. Finding ways to treat and manage your stress levels, however, can prevent vertigo associated with stress from occurring.

A Word From Verywell

Anyone who has experienced vertigo will agree that it can be a destabilizing and confusing sensation. Severe cases of vertigo can affect your daily functioning, as everyday activities such as driving or walking become risky.

If you find that your vertigo comes on when you are stressed or in stressful situations, that could indicate that they are linked. However, other underlying conditions could cause vertigo, and most people living with chronic stress do not experience vertigo.

It’s crucial to contact your healthcare provider to get to the root cause of your symptoms and work together to come up with a treatment plan.

What Does It Mean to Feel Overwhelmed?

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Penn Medicine.Vertigo.Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, et al., editors. Neuroscience. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2001. Chapter 14,The Vestibular System.Saman Y, Bamiou DE, Gleeson M, Dutia MB.Interactions between stress and vestibular compensation – a review.Front Neur. 2012;3.Cleveland Clinic.Vertigo: what is it, causes, signs & treatment.Kitahara T, Okamoto H, Fukushima M, et al.A two-year randomized trial of interventions to decrease stress hormone vasopressin production in patients with meniere’s disease—a pilot study.Lonser RR, ed. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(6):e0158309.Talmud JD, Coffey R, Edemekong PF.Dix hallpike maneuver.In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Penn Medicine.Vertigo.Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, et al., editors. Neuroscience. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2001. Chapter 14,The Vestibular System.Saman Y, Bamiou DE, Gleeson M, Dutia MB.Interactions between stress and vestibular compensation – a review.Front Neur. 2012;3.Cleveland Clinic.Vertigo: what is it, causes, signs & treatment.Kitahara T, Okamoto H, Fukushima M, et al.A two-year randomized trial of interventions to decrease stress hormone vasopressin production in patients with meniere’s disease—a pilot study.Lonser RR, ed. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(6):e0158309.Talmud JD, Coffey R, Edemekong PF.Dix hallpike maneuver.In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Penn Medicine.Vertigo.Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, et al., editors. Neuroscience. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2001. Chapter 14,The Vestibular System.Saman Y, Bamiou DE, Gleeson M, Dutia MB.Interactions between stress and vestibular compensation – a review.Front Neur. 2012;3.Cleveland Clinic.Vertigo: what is it, causes, signs & treatment.Kitahara T, Okamoto H, Fukushima M, et al.A two-year randomized trial of interventions to decrease stress hormone vasopressin production in patients with meniere’s disease—a pilot study.Lonser RR, ed. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(6):e0158309.Talmud JD, Coffey R, Edemekong PF.Dix hallpike maneuver.In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.

Penn Medicine.Vertigo.

Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, et al., editors. Neuroscience. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2001. Chapter 14,The Vestibular System.

Saman Y, Bamiou DE, Gleeson M, Dutia MB.Interactions between stress and vestibular compensation – a review.Front Neur. 2012;3.

Cleveland Clinic.Vertigo: what is it, causes, signs & treatment.

Kitahara T, Okamoto H, Fukushima M, et al.A two-year randomized trial of interventions to decrease stress hormone vasopressin production in patients with meniere’s disease—a pilot study.Lonser RR, ed. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(6):e0158309.

Talmud JD, Coffey R, Edemekong PF.Dix hallpike maneuver.In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.

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