Dizziness Causes: What’s Really Behind Your Spin

When you feel like the room is spinning, or your head’s light and unsteady, you’re experiencing dizziness, a sensation of unsteadiness, spinning, or lightheadedness that can come from many sources. Also known as vertigo, it’s not a disease—it’s a symptom, and it often points to something specific going on inside your body. Many people assume dizziness is just from stress or lack of sleep, but the real causes are often physical, and they’re more common than you think.

The most frequent cause? Problems in your inner ear, the part of your body that controls balance. This includes conditions like benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), where tiny crystals in your ear get dislodged and send false signals to your brain. It’s not dangerous, but it can make turning over in bed feel like a rollercoaster. Another big one is low blood pressure, especially when you stand up too fast. Your body doesn’t pump blood to your brain fast enough, and you feel faint. Then there’s medication side effects—drugs for blood pressure, anxiety, or even antibiotics can throw off your balance system. You might not realize your meds are the culprit until you stop and look back.

Other causes are less obvious but just as real. Dehydration, anemia, migraines, and even anxiety can trigger dizziness. Some people get it after a head injury, or because of nerve damage in the neck. And if you’re on multiple prescriptions—like those for high blood pressure or depression—you might be dealing with drug interactions that nobody warned you about. That’s why tracking your symptoms and meds together matters. If you’re dizzy after starting a new pill, it’s not "just in your head." It’s your body talking.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just a list of causes. It’s real-world connections between the dizziness you feel and the medications you take—like how Hytrin or Calcort can affect balance, or how Desvenlafaxine might make you feel off-kilter. We’ve pulled together guides that explain what’s happening inside your body, how to spot the warning signs, and what steps to take next. No fluff. No guesswork. Just clear, practical info to help you figure out what’s really going on—and what to do about it.