What should you know about light headache and dizziness?

Dizziness may mean feeling faint, unsteady or as though the room is moving. Drinking too little, overheating, standing quickly or missing food can temporarily affect circulation or blood glucose. Stress and anxious breathing can add light-headedness and head pressure. If turning in bed or moving the head triggers spinning, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is one possible cause. Recurrent tiredness, breathlessness or pale skin can occur with anaemia, including iron-deficiency anaemia. Palpitations or an irregular heartbeat deserve assessment because atrial fibrillation can cause dizziness in some people.

Sit or lie down somewhere cool, rise slowly and avoid driving while dizzy. Sip water and eat a balanced snack if you have missed a meal and can swallow safely. Keep a note of onset, triggers, headache location, spinning versus faintness, medicines, sleep and recent illness. Do not take repeated pain medicine beyond the label directions. Arrange a medical review when episodes recur, interfere with walking, or occur with palpitations.

Call emergency services for a sudden severe headache, facial droop, one-sided weakness or numbness, trouble speaking, new confusion, collapse, chest pain or severe breathlessness. Seek prompt care for persistent vomiting, inability to walk safely, fainting, a new severe headache, or dizziness after a head injury. Heat exposure with confusion or worsening weakness also needs urgent help.

Is this light-headedness, vertigo or another type of dizziness? Could my blood count, iron, glucose, blood pressure or heart rhythm be involved? Which symptoms should send me to emergency care?