Dizziness & Giddiness – Know the Difference

Giddiness and dizziness describe feeling imbalanced, lightheaded, unsteady, as if you are about to faint. But being specific it is important to distinguish between feeling dizzy from experiencing vertigo (or giddiness).

In this article, we’ll explain how to distinguish between dizziness and vertigo.

What’s the key difference between dizziness and giddiness?

Dizziness generally describes a feeling of being off-balance. When you’re dizzy, moving can be difficult. You may stagger while you’re walking or feel like you’re going to fall. Many people with vertigo will report dizziness as a symptom.

While giddiness (a sensation of whirling/spinning) can affect a person severely, it is not an independent medical condition but often a symptom of some other underlying condition. This underlying condition could be something as simple as overexertion or as serious as a stroke. Most often it is caused by neurological or inner ear issues.

What causes dizziness & giddiness?

Dizziness and giddiness can also have different causes. Let’s break them down below.

Dizziness

• head injuries
• dehydration
• low blood sugar
• low blood pressure
• motion sickness
• anxiety
• alcohol consumption
• certain medications

Giddiness (or vertigo)

Vertigo may also be caused by conditions that impact your central nervous system. Potential causes include:

• head injuries
• benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
• Meniere’s disease
• vestibular neuritis
• labyrinthitis
• vestibular migraine
• cerebellar stroke
• multiple sclerosis

When to seek medical attention?

It’s usually a good idea to see a doctor for feelings of dizziness, vertigo, or lightheadedness that:

• keeps returning
• affects your daily life
• comes with other symptoms like:
  • ringing of years (tinnitus)
  • headache
  • weakness or numbness
  • blurry vision
  • fainting

Your treatment plan depends on addressing the underlying cause of your symptoms. In many cases, treating the cause of dizziness, vertigo, or lightheadedness can help clear up these symptoms.

Wrapping up…!

Dizziness and giddiness are two similar feeling with an important difference. So, it is important to avoid using them interchangeably.

Dizziness is a general feeling of being off-balance. Giddiness is the feeling that you or your surroundings are moving or spinning. But both can affect your balance and movement. Hence it is important to seek immediate medical attention from your neurologist.

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