Can Stress, Anxiety, or Fatigue Cause Dizziness?

We often don’t realize how crucial our balance is to our day-to-day lives until we feel ourselves stumble or get up to find the room spinning around us. 

Dizziness can be caused by a few different things, including a blood sugar drop or blood pressure issues, but it could also be linked to an underlying conflict in your inner ear, where organs reside that handle maintaining our balance. 

While dizziness can come from several factors, it shouldn’t last long; if your dizziness is persistent, a professional balance evaluation is crucial to ensure you can get back to steady footing. 

Can Stress Cause Dizziness? 

We often have patients ask us if stress causes dizziness or if anxiety can cause dizziness or lightheadedness. The answer is yes, but they’re rarely linked to inner ear problems. 

Stress and anxiety can cause feelings of dizziness from physical responses to stressors, like hyperventilation and heightened sensory awareness; for individuals with chronic stress or anxiety, dizziness can sometimes come on suddenly and lead to more stress.  

We’ve also had a few individuals ask us, “Can lack of sleep cause dizziness?” and to some degree, yes – sleep deprivation can affect brain function and lead to issues with blood flow, which will cause temporary dizziness but shouldn’t be consistent.  

Persistent dizziness should be addressed by a professional balance disorder specialist. 

Common Causes for Balance Trouble 

There are a few common causes for feeling unsteady on your feet: 

• Labyrinthitis, inflammation in the inner ear due to infection 

• Meniere’s disease, or pressure in the inner ear that can lead to balance issues or hearing loss 

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which is brief spells of vertigo triggered by rapid head movements 

• Perilymph Fistula, where fluid is leaking into the inner ear from injury or infection 

• Mal de Debarquement Syndrome, or lingering motion sickness 

If you have reason to believe that your balance issues are from one of the above causes, or you’re dealing with hearing loss challenges alongside unsteadiness, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to address your balance trouble. 

Feel Steady on Your Feet with Balance Disorder Treatment 

Don’t take your balance for granted. If you’re struggling with staying steady on your feet, our team of balance specialists and hearing care professionals is here to help. 

You can rest assured that your balance trouble will be taken seriously with personalized treatment that puts your needs and best interests first; we work with you to craft the best options for your balance treatment, so you’ll be walking confidently once more in no time!