Migraine is a neurological type of headache that happens when changes in the brain cause head pain and other unusual sensations. Some people experience migraine as head pressure along with other neurological symptoms, such as:. Taking pain relievers may help ease a migraine headache, but people experiencing chronic migraine headaches should contact a doctor. They can prescribe medications to prevent migraine headaches and rule out other conditions.
The doctor may also recommend keeping a log of headaches to help with identifying potential triggers. Learn about migraine triggers and how to avoid them here. A tension headache happens when muscle tension radiates to the head. A person may also experience shoulder or neck pain. Tension headaches tend to come on slowly, getting worse over time and causing pain throughout the head and sometimes a feeling of pressure.
Very bad tension headaches can also make a person feel dizzy. Some people may find relief from tension headaches by applying hot or cold packs to the neck or head or by taking OTC headache medications. Chronic tension headaches occur when a person experiences a tension headache for 15 or more days per month for at least 3 months. They sometimes happen when a person has underlying muscle issues, sits at a computer all day, or has chronic stress. A doctor may be able to identify strategies for dealing with these issues.
Learn about 19 natural remedies for headaches here. High blood pressure , especially a sudden shift in blood pressure, may cause pain and pressure in the head, as well as dizziness.
Any type of pain, including that associated with headaches, may also cause high blood pressure. However, in this case, relieving the headache may not lead to lower blood pressure. It is important to talk with a doctor about high blood pressure, as making behavioral changes and taking medications, such as beta-blockers , can help.
A person may find that managing stress or eating less salt can also help lower their blood pressure. A home blood pressure reading with a systolic top number above or a diastolic bottom number above warrants a call or a trip to the emergency room.
Learn about 15 ways to naturally lower blood pressure here. When a person has intracranial hypertension , it means that there is higher pressure from the fluid that cushions the brain. This can happen for many reasons, including:. A person may experience a chronic throbbing headache or neurological symptoms such as vision issues or difficulty concentrating.
If this is the case, a person should contact a doctor, as these symptoms can be life threatening. Some people develop intracranial hypertension for no clear reason. Doctors call this idiopathic intracranial hypertension IIH. Making certain lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, may help with IIH. Learn more about increased intracranial pressure here.
When a headache or dizziness lasts for a long time, it is more likely that a person has a chronic or serious condition, such as migraine, head pressure from a tumor or infection, or a brain injury.
Learn more about persistent headaches here. Some people develop may headaches or dizziness after eating. This does not necessarily mean that food caused the symptoms, so it is important to look at other factors.
Sometimes, however, food poisoning , food sensitivities, and even overeating may cause dizziness and headaches, as well as stomach pain. Learn more about sugar headaches here. Headaches can be very painful, but they are usually harmless.
In most cases, a person can manage the symptoms at home. Non-urgent advice: Speak to your GP if you:. It's helpful to note: what you were doing at the time you felt dizzy how long it lasted and how bad it was whether you had any other symptoms — such as fainting, vomiting, nausea, blurred vision, headache, hearing loss or tinnitus If you're taking prescription medicine, your GP will probably review this to check whether dizziness is a possible side effect.
You may be referred to a specialist for further tests and investigations. Common causes of dizziness The most common causes of dizziness are outlined below. Labyrinthitis — an inner ear infection that affects your hearing and balance, and can lead to a severe form of dizziness called vertigo.
Migraine — dizziness may come on before or after the headache, or even without the headache. Stress or anxiety — particularly if you tend to hyperventilate breathe abnormally quickly when resting. Low blood sugar level hypoglycaemia — which is usually seen in people with diabetes. Postural hypotension — a sudden fall in blood pressure when you suddenly sit or stand up, which goes away after lying down. This is more common in older people. Dehydration or heat exhaustion — dehydration could be due to not drinking enough during exercise, or illness that causes vomiting, diarrhoea or fever.
Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: William H. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
Topic Overview Dizziness is a word that is often used to describe two different feelings. Light-headedness is a feeling that you are about to faint or "pass out.
Light-headedness often goes away or improves when you lie down. If light-headedness gets worse, it can lead to a feeling of almost fainting or a fainting spell syncope. You may sometimes feel nauseated or vomit when you are light-headed. Vertigo is a feeling that you or your surroundings are moving when there is no actual movement.
You may feel as though you are off balance, spinning, whirling, falling, or tilting. When you have severe vertigo , you may feel very nauseated or vomit. You may have trouble walking or standing, and you may lose your balance and fall. Light-headedness It is common to feel light-headed from time to time. Light-headedness has many causes, including: Allergies. Illnesses such as the influenza flu or colds.
Home treatment of your flu and cold symptoms usually will relieve light-headedness. Vomiting, diarrhea, fevers, and other illnesses that cause dehydration.
Very deep or rapid breathing hyperventilation. Anxiety and stress. The use of tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs. Vertigo Vertigo occurs when there is conflict between the signals sent to the brain by various balance- and position-sensing systems of the body.
Vision gives you information about your position and motion in relationship to the rest of the world. This is an important part of the balance mechanism and often overrides information from the other balance-sensing systems. Sensory nerves in your joints allow your brain to keep track of the position of your legs, arms, and torso. Your body is then automatically able to make tiny changes in posture that help you maintain your balance proprioception.
Skin pressure sensation gives you information about your body's position and motion in relationship to gravity. A portion of the inner ear, called the labyrinth, which includes the semicircular canals, contains specialized cells that detect motion and changes in position. Injury to or diseases of the inner ear can send false signals to the brain indicating that the balance mechanism of the inner ear labyrinth detects motion.
If these false signals conflict with signals from the other balance and positioning centres of the body, vertigo may occur. Injury to the ear or head. Migraine headaches , which are painful, debilitating headaches that often occur with vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, noise, and smell.
Decreased blood flow through the arteries that supply blood to the base of the brain vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Less common causes of vertigo include: A non-cancerous growth in the space behind the eardrum cholesteatoma.
Brain tumours and cancer that has travelled from another part of the body metastatic. These problems may develop from: Taking too much of a medicine over medicating. Alcohol and medicine interactions. This is a problem, especially for older adults, who may take many medicines at the same time. Misusing a medicine or alcohol use disorder.
Drug intoxication or the effects of withdrawal. Check Your Symptoms Is dizziness your main problem? How old are you? Are you male or female? Why do we ask this question? The medical assessment of symptoms is based on the body parts you have. If you are transgender or non-binary, choose the sex that matches the body parts such as ovaries, testes, prostate, breasts, penis, or vagina you now have in the area where you are having symptoms. If you have some organs of both sexes, you may need to go through this triage tool twice once as "male" and once as "female".
This will make sure that the tool asks the right questions for you. Have you had a head injury? Could you be having symptoms of a heart attack? If you're having a heart attack, there are several areas where you may feel pain or other symptoms. Do you have symptoms of shock? Did you pass out completely lose consciousness? If you are answering for someone else: Is the person unconscious now? Are you back to your normal level of alertness? After passing out, it's normal to feel a little confused, weak, or light-headed when you first wake up or come to.
But unless something else is wrong, these symptoms should pass pretty quickly and you should soon feel about as awake and alert as you normally do. Did the loss of consciousness occur during the past 24 hours? Have you had any new neurological symptoms other than dizziness? Do you have these symptoms right now? Is the dizziness severe? Severe means that you are so dizzy that you need help to stand or walk.
Have you noticed any irregular heartbeats or changes in your heart rate? Do you have symptoms of a serious illness? Do you have vertigo? Have you had sudden, severe hearing loss?
Is vertigo a new problem? Are your symptoms getting worse? Did the symptoms start after a recent injury? Have you recently had moments when you felt like you were going to faint? Have you felt faint or light-headed for more than 24 hours? Are you nauseated or vomiting? Nauseated means you feel sick to your stomach, like you are going to vomit. Are you nauseated a lot of the time or vomiting repeatedly?
Do you think that a medicine could be causing the dizziness? Think about whether the dizziness started after you began using a new medicine or a higher dose of a medicine. Have you been feeling dizzy for more than 5 days? Is the problem disrupting your daily activities? These include: Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker.
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