Firstly, if you are here reading this, then that means you suffer with dizziness to some extent, and possibly every day, in which case I am so sorry…
Of course dizziness was just one of the many anxiety symptoms that plagued me during my darkest days with anxiety, however I always refer to it as one of the worst.
Yeah, my constant racing heart sucked too, and I spent many hours worrying about the health of my heart, but part of me logically knew that a racing heart and being anxious did make sense.
Feeling constantly off-balance, on the other hand, was another story.
It was such a confusing symptom for me, not to mention felt absolutely terrible, and my health anxiety made me believe that something must be terribly wrong with me.
Stroke and brain tumor fears were just two of my worst fears thanks to this symptom that felt like I was never stable and like the floor was always moving beneath my feet.
I felt like I was going to permanently tip over, which meant that I never wanted to go anywhere as it only got worse when my panic intensified.
I think any symptom seems so much worse when we don’t understand it. That’s where I want to always help as much as I can.
Understanding helps to break down fear.
And if you’ve been wondering “Could anxiety cause dizziness?” then this blog post is for you!
Let’s get started…
Here’s what you need to know if you are anxious and dizzy all the time or at least most of the time.
1. Shallow breathing makes everything worse
Let me start by saying that most of us, anxious or not, are not breathing properly.
Our body breathes automatically for us, but when we are in a constant state of stress, our body naturally takes in more shallow air.
This shallow air enters our chest rather than our bellies which may cause some really uncomfortable symptoms.
These uncomfortable symptoms include:
- chest pressure
- tingling in the face and lips
- headaches
- … and yepp, you guessed it – dizziness! 😓
Being consciously aware of the breath and making sure you are breathing slowly and deeply into your belly and slowly out through your nose or mouth can already help tremendously.
It may feel weird at first, especially if you have never really put attention on your breath, but make it a daily habit and just watch what happens.
My favourite is straw breathing and alternate nostril breathing.
If you find yourself forgetting to take deep breaths, an anxiety breathing necklace might be a great tool for you.
2. Sensory issues can make you off-balance
I get this question a lot:
Can anxiety affect my ears and cause ringing and pressure? 🤔
The answer is yes, anxiety absolutely can and does affect our senses in different ways
When the ears are affected it can affect our balance so this is something to be aware of.
Sometimes sinus pressure and wax build-up in the ears can be big contributors too, and cause you to feel permanently off-balance and strange.
Stress hormones may also increase pressure in the middle ear, contributing to strange and scary ear symptoms.
3. Ugh, mucus and congestion!
Okay, so this was another side-effect of anxiety that blew me away, after years of just thinking I had chronic sinus issues.
Stress hormones actually contribute to mucus build-up as they increase inflammation in the body.
If you are anxious every single day then you may find that you have a lot of excess mucus and this excess mucus can cause congestion that can affect your sense of balance.
Isn’t it crazy how everything is connected? 🤯
4. Sugar intensifies panic and dizziness
When I cut back on sugar, I noticed a drastic decrease in the intensity of all of my anxiety symptoms, I am not kidding.
Sugar does make anxiety symptoms worse. 🍭
It causes a drastic spike in blood sugar, which then mimics the symptoms of a panic attack, such as blurry vision, dizziness, fatigue, shakiness, a racing heart and just a general feeling of unease.
If you are dizzy a lot, as well as eating a lot of sugar, consider cutting back a bit or at least substituting for some healthier options.
I go deep into nutrition in my first ebook, “Help! Why Am I So Anxious?!”
5. You may have hidden food sensitivities
If you’re sensitive to a food without knowing it, and therefore continuing to eat it on a regular basis, it’s going to be impacting you without you understanding why you are dealing with certain symptoms.
I am sensitive to gluten (🥖) and when I eat it I feel okay, but then a few days later I start to experience heightened anxiety, with dizziness being one of the symptoms I deal with!
It’s easy to pinpoint the unhealthy, processed foods, but some foods may seem healthy yet we may be sensitive.
Some common allergens are eggs, dairy, gluten and soy so if you eat these foods regularly, simply pay attention to how you feel afterwards.
6. Your hormones are messing with you
Cortisol levels rise at certain times of the month, such as during ovulation and right before your period.
As you now know, when cortisol levels are high, you are going to feel more on edge and experience an increase in anxiety symptoms.
It’s always helpful to pay attention to where you are in your cycle if you notice that you feel more dizzy than usual.
I’d always get really dizzy thanks to hormonal changes, as well as deal with heart palpitations, headaches, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue and intense emotional and mental symptoms.
Further reading:
I could go on and on about dizziness and anxiety and I do…
- Listen to episodes 6 and 25 of my podcast.
- Read this blog post.
I also go deeper into dizziness and every other anxiety symptom you can think of (the really strange and confusing ones included!) in my “Anxiety A to Z” Encyclopedia; the book I would have done anything to have myself when anxiety ruled my life 24/7.
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