Some people describe balance problems as dizziness. This imbalance, in which the environment does not rotate, sometimes occurs due to a problem with the inner ear. Some people explain their difficulty in maintaining balance with the word vertigo. This word comes from the Latin verb "to return". These patients often say that they or the environment is spinning. Vertigo is most often caused by an inner ear problem.
What is Motion Sickness and Seasickness?
Some people feel nauseated when they get on a plane or in a car, and sometimes they even vomit. This condition is called motion sickness. Many people suffer from this discomfort when they get on a ship, so it is called seasickness, although it is the same phenomenon. Seasickness is just a minor inconvenience. Apart from this, it is not an expression of any medical disorder. However, sometimes passengers can feel very restricted due to this inconvenience. In a very small number of cases, this discomfort continues for a few days even after the trip is over.
Anatomy of the Balance System
Dizziness (vertigo) and motion sickness are related to the balance system. Space researchers call this feeling spatial orientation. The balance system is in the inner ear and tells the brain where the body is in space, the direction of its position, which direction it is moving, and whether it is spinning or at rest. Your sense of balance is provided by the complex relationships between the following parts of the nervous system.
- The inner ear (also called the labyrinth) determines the direction of movement, that is, whether it is turning forward or backward, side to side and up or down. It determines which part of the body is downwards.
- The eyes determine the location of the body in space (head down, etc.) and the direction of movement.
- Pressure receptors located in the joints and spine determine which part of the body is downwards and which part touches the ground.
- Perception receptors in the muscles and joints determine which part of the body is moving.
- The central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) processes the signals from the previous four systems, resulting in a coordinated perception.
The symptoms of motion sickness and dizziness send opposing messages to the central nervous system from the other four systems. It appears when the s arrive. For example, imagine you are boarding a plane on a stormy day and your plane is shaking due to air currents. But your eyes do not perceive this movement. Because all you see is the inside of the plane. As a result, your brain receives incompatible messages. This may cause you to get plane sickness. Or imagine you are sitting in the back seat of a car reading a book. Your inner ear and skin receptors will detect the motion of the ride. However, your eyes will only see the book. For this reason, you may become motion sick. To give a real medical example, imagine that your inner ear on only one side was damaged due to a blow. The damaged inner ear does not send the same messages as the normal inner ear. This gives the brain incorrect information about the act of turning. The person may complain of vertigo or a feeling of spinning. Sometimes nausea is also observed.
Which Medical Disorders Cause Dizziness?
Circulation : Circulatory disorders are among the most common causes of dizziness. If your brain doesn't get enough blood, you start to feel dizzy. Almost everyone has felt it several times when they suddenly stand up while lying down, but some people complain of dizziness due to frequent or chronic reasons. This happens due to arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). This disorder is mostly seen in high blood pressure patients, diabetics and those with high blood lipids. It is sometimes seen in people with inadequate heart function or those suffering from anemia. Some drugs, especially nicotine and caffeine, reduce blood flow to the brain. Large amounts of salt in the diet also causes reduced blood flow. Sometimes there may be some disturbances in circulation due to stress, anger or tension. If the inner ear does not receive enough blood, vertigo, a more specific dizziness condition, occurs. The inner ear is very sensitive to changes in blood circulation. Therefore, all of the poor blood circulation conditions mentioned for the brain also apply to the inner ear.
Injury: Nausea with extreme, restrictive vertigo after a fracture in the skull that also damages the inner ear. and hearing loss develops. Dizziness lasts for several weeks. During this period no The thermal side gradually takes over the functions of the opposite side.
Infection: Viruses, such as those that cause the common cold, can affect the inner ear and its nerve connections with the brain. While this causes bad vertigo, hearing is usually not affected. However, infections caused by bacteria cause disruption of both balance and hearing functions. The severity of dizziness and recovery time are the same as in fractures.
Allergy: Some people may experience dizziness or vertigo when they encounter foods or airborne particles to which they are allergic.
Neurological diseases : Diseases that affect the nervous system, such as Multiple Sclerosis, syphilis, and tumor, cause the balance to deteriorate. Although these are rare causes, your doctor will consider them during the examination.
What Can I Do Against Motion Sickness?
Always sit in a place where your body's movement can be perceived by your inner ear and eyes in the same way. For example, you can sit in the front of the car and look at distant views, go on the deck of a ship and watch the horizon, or sit by the window on a plane and look out. During plane journeys, choose seats located above the wing, where movement is minimal.
If the car is holding you, do not read a book or sit on the seats in the opposite direction.
Do not talk to or talk to another passenger who is suffering from motion sickness. Do not watch.
Stay away from strong odors, spicy and fatty foods just before or during the trip. Research has not been able to scientifically prove the effectiveness of formulas commonly used among the public.
Take one of the medications recommended by your doctor before your trip. Some of these medications can also be purchased without a prescription. Your doctor's prescription is required for sedatives or medications that affect the nervous system. Some are in the form of pills or suppositories, while others (scopolamine) are in the form of patches that can be applied behind the ear.
Remember this: The vast majority of dizziness and motion sickness are mild and the person can self-treat. However, severe or increasingly or worsening cases should be followed up by a doctor who specializes in Ear, Nose and Throat, balance and nervous system.
What Does the Doctor Do for Dizziness?
Your doctor will ask you to describe the dizziness. He or she will ask whether it is a blackout or a sensation of movement, how long it lasts, and whether there is hearing loss or nausea and vomiting. You may also ask which situations cause dizziness. You may have to answer many questions about your general condition, whether you are taking medication, head trauma, a recent infection, and your ear and nervous system. After your doctor examines your ear, nose and throat, he will perform some tests related to the nervous system. Since the inner ear is involved in both hearing and balance, a disturbance in balance will also affect hearing and vice versa. For this reason, your doctor may request a hearing test (audiogram). In some cases, he or she may order an x-ray, tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging of your skull, or a test that will monitor your eye movements after hot or cold water is used to stimulate your inner ear (electronystagmography - ENG). In some cases, he or she may recommend evaluation of your heart or some blood tests. Not every test is required for every patient. Your doctor's decision will determine which tests are necessary. Similarly, the recommended treatment will be related to the diagnosis.
What Can I Do to Reduce Dizziness?
Avoid sudden position changes. For example, do not stand up suddenly from a lying position or turn suddenly from one side to the other.
Avoid excessive head movements (especially looking up) or rapid head movements.
They can impair circulation (nicotine, caffeine and Reduce the use of salt) products.
Stay away from stress and nervousness that cause dizziness and try not to be exposed to substances to which you are allergic.
When you have dizziness, do harm such as driving a car, using dangerous equipment or climbing stairs. Stay away from activities that may cause
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