Lightheaded And Dizziness?

Often anxiety leads to stress and this may make your body weak. This could result in light headedness and dizzy feelings maybe. But i'm no Dr. Though so don't quote me on this.

I have lighheaddedness...Kinda dream like with anxiety. I'm trying to overcome it as we speak :s sux.

I am lightheaded and dizzy most of the time, Dr.'s that specialize in anxiety have told me two different things;
1. Your body is flooded with adrenaline and that makes you dizzy.

2. And most likely; when you have the adrenaline in your blood stream you are more likely to be taking small short breathes as though you are hardly breathing, this is in sync with the fight-or-flight attributes,

the 2. Dr. Told me to take 15 long deep breathes periodically throughout the day, push out your stomach when you inhale to get air to the bottom of your lungs first. This helps get all the co2 out of your lungs.

Please send me a private message and or email to adamb aum@insightbb.Com and I will send you an article on breathing for anxiety.

I have experienced vertigo, lightheadedness and dizzyness at 3 times of my life, each episode lasting a few days to the latest one which was a few miserable months. Each epsiode had one thing in common: a change was drastic change was happening in my life that I had aboslutely no control over.

The first time it happened when in 1994, when I was 44, my mother was diagnose with lou gehrigs (als), a terminal illness with absolutely no hope of a cure. The second time was in 2004 when my daughter was diagnosed with tumors on her ovaries (which sent me spinning, but when I learned they were fibroids and somewhat harmless the dizzyness went away). The third episode happened in april of 2005 and is still slightly active as of june28, 2005, but not as bad as in april and may.

This latest episode stemmed (i figure) from a combination of family changes and overloaded stress at the work place. I have worked 4 straight years with no vacation to keep a business afloat that suffered badly after "9-11" and finally burned myself out. The combination of the family changes and the burnout finally did me in and the "wiggies" as I call them returned in force.

I found that there were "triggers" that set these latest dizzy spells off. One was when I went into the factory that I own. I would walk into the back of the workshop and start to spin. Also, when I received phone calls from that particular family member, the spells would start.

I went to two doctors, I had a cat scan of the head, I had myself tested for inner ear problems, all with no findings of abnormalities. I talked to a counselor and it helped. I talked to friends and family and it helped.

I think that stress can and does cause dizzyness, vertigo and lightheadedness, as well (in me) weakness in the legs at the time of the attack.

You should definatley be checked for als

If it only happens on standing its probably postural hypotension which is sometimes normal, stand up more slowly and wait before moving

Constant light headedness and dizzyness. I am a severe hypo, have been for years. Not quite as bad as I used to be, once I figured out what was wrong. To make matters worse, I have sleep apnea and was just diagnosed with narcolepsy. Will the hell ever cease?

Cognitive behavioral therapy works for anxiety, phobias and compulsive thinking, you should look into it....It works.

I get lightheaded when I walk fast or run

Most people do del, I especially do when im lifting waits

I've been reading everyone's reply's and feel the same way. I'm 34, good shape, married, great job, 3 little girls and struggled with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) since early highschool. I've read countless books and meet significant anxiety challenges once every 2 or so years. Something usually triggers my anxiety and off we go. I always think i have it under control at first, but then I start thinking I have heart issues, or cancer, or MS, or parkinsons from shaky hands, some other terminal illness and it spins out of control for a few months before friends and family help me back to normal. Its good to have one or two reliable people to help you; its critical to your success; only they can think clearly and you need them to show the way. Currently I'm dealing with lightheadedness ever since 1st week of January. its an all day affair with periods of good and bad throughout the day; also have the fluttering heart which seems to always show up during nervous episodes. I'm confident its my adrenalin producing glands causing the issue. If you haven't read the Book "Hope and Help for your Nerves" by Clair Weeks yet; GET IT! Read it over and over till you know how to deal with this. I know I'll beat this again as long as I accept this as the way it is and let time pass without getting frustrated. I've done it countless times even when I thought life was coming to an end with this damn anxiety disorder! I hope this story helps somebody a little, it helps me just to write it! dont' give up, don't fight it, accept it, and let time pass! Might be months with plenty of setbacks, but keep staying calm and accept your feelings for the time being. Don't be embarrased either, it just adds pressure to your disorder. Good Luck and God Bless!

Doug

I read your post and I can relate to everything you said. I felt so much better after reading what you wrote. I too have gad. And I want to go and get that particular book you mentioned. I have had constant lightheadedness for the last 4 weeks and I was not sure what was causing it. I am convinced after reading everyone's posts that it must be anxiety and stress related. I am so glad that I joined this forum.

Hang in there and stay relaxed even when you feel anxious (which is probably all day). focus on keeping your muscles from being too tense. Don't get frustrated cause you probably won't feel better for a few week to months. There will be good days and maybe a few in a row then all the sudden, your back to one of the worst days! This is the point where its imperative to remember to stay calm and understand its just part of the process, your life.

It will get better, let your body heal itself like a sore muscle does over time. Get the book and let me know if you have any questions throughout the process!

God Bless!
Doug

Usually, my lightheadedness can be attributed to low-blood pressure. What is your BP presently?

I went to my doctor. He said my bp was fine. 110 over 70.

I just registered to this forum. I've been having dizziness for the past 3 years. I have it basically from the time i wake up, until i lay down in bed at night. It's much worse when i have to stand, even for a few minutes. I almosted fainted about 3 years ago, while standing in line, and ever since, that lightheadedness is not leaving me. Drs are saying it's anxiety, i've have all the tests done, nothing abnormal. But i still feel horrible with this dizziness. I'm loosing a lot of weight, i'm down to size 2 or less. Very frustrating. I have 2 little kids to take care of. My husband is not helping much, he doesn't understand what i'm going through. He is not a sensitive person, makes me so sad. I did read Claire Weeks book you mention. Doesn't help me much. I can't understand how to float with the feeling of dizziness. PLEASE HELP! I don't know what else to do. I don't believe in medication. I tried natural stuff, with no help. Thanks, i needed to get it off my chest:)

I feel very releived but also frightened after reading what everyone had to say. I too have had this extreme dizziness that has occured 3 times in my life. The first time it happened it scared me to death i was so overwhelmed with dizziness i couldn't control myself. In general i am the type of person to over think so many things in life and get caught up on stuff and just over anaylise and dwell upon things. Those of u who have mentioned GAD....a term i never even heard of Generalized Anxiety Disorder.....sounds like me, yet it's frustrating as ever. How are u able to calm yourself down or relax.....the 2 times previous that i have felt this way were issues were eventually solved and therefore the dizziness stopped. Randomly i woke up the other morning with this feeling again of extreme dizziness and nausea, at first it caught me so off guard b/c i hadn't felt anything like it in over a year. I thought i might had had the flu or something, went to the docs and he said it could be Meniere's disease...an inner ear infection, which could be caused from fatigue/exaustion, inner ear fluids, overexposure to loud noises, and stress and anxiety......then it lead me to thinking....is this all related is it a problem with the ear or is it simply stress and worry?? i've been feeling this dizziness for almost 40 hrs and it's not letting up....i'm not even able to drive, let alone hardly get about my day........Stevid the book u mentioned sounds very interesting i will definalty look into that as well.

Well right before my constant lightheaded feeling started, I had really bad dizziness for about a week. Then, it just faded into this constant lightheaded feeling. You know there is a big difference between dizziness and lightheadedness. Do you feel more lightheaded or more of a dizziness feeling? I am convinced that mine is from stress and anxiety. I over-analyze, dwell, and put myself into a frenzy over stupid things. I am trying to ignore the lightheaded feeling in hopes that it will go away. You should read up more on anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder.

Hi, I'm new to this forum, but I would like to say that a lot of the advice some of you have given has helped me a lot. I had my first anxiety attack about a month ago.

My mom has had anxiety for quite a few years. Suffice to say, I never realized how bad it was until I actually had an anxiety attack myself. My mom has given me a few tips I hope will help some of you with your anxiety.

First, keeping a schedule is important. Hurrying causes stress, a schedule eliminates that. A sleeping schedule is very important.

Second, you know that little voice in your head that use to analyze every stupid little thing that crosses your path, you have to tell it to shut-up. Find busy work to help keep your mind occupied. My mom does puzzles. I meditate and took up whittling.

Third, when I get headaches and it's accompanied by a tingling sensation--kind of like there's electrical stimulation in my head--I take gingko-biloba. It helps the tingling and sometimes with the headaches.

Fourth, I drink herbal tea, the kind with chamomile. It seems stupid, but it helps me with the anxiety, the headaches, and the dizziness. I drink it twice a day.

Fifth, I do pilates and/or yoga when I'm not feeling too dizzy. Not the difficult kind, but the kind that emphasizes posture and breathing. They usually show it on PBS early in the morning. I find the next day, I'm usually not as dizzy. I usually do it every other day.

Fifth, I take a single aspirin and use a cold gel pack on my head when I go to bed. I make sure to take the aspirin at night and the gingko-biloba in the morning, since they both work by thinning blood. Bedtime is usually the time I get the dizziest. If I'm not feeling too dizzy, I don't take the aspirin.

And last, but most important, you need some time away from screaming kids. I have this nephew whose screaming and crying triggers my anxiety. I find avoiding him when he's having one of his tantrums helps immensely.

Doing these things and taking fifteen deep breaths--someone else mentioned it on this forum--when I get agitated, has helped me get through the day.

I'd like to thank all of you for helping me. Knowing that other people feel crappy like me helps me feel better. I knows it sounds terrible, but it's true.