What causes vertigo?

The balance organs in the inner ear work with the eyes and brain to tell you where your head is. When these signals disagree, you may feel that you or the room is spinning, tilting, or moving. Nausea, unsteadiness, sweating, and difficulty walking can accompany the sensation.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo can cause brief attacks after turning in bed, looking up, bending, or changing head position. Labyrinthitis can inflame the inner ear and may cause vertigo with hearing symptoms, while Meniere's Disease can cause recurring vertigo with ear pressure, ringing, or changing hearing. A Middle Ear Infection may affect nearby ear structures and contribute to dizziness. Migraine can cause vertigo with or without a headache, sometimes alongside sensitivity to light or sound.

The pattern matters: what triggers the sensation, how long it lasts, whether hearing changes, and whether other neurological symptoms occur can help a clinician identify the likely source.

Sit or lie down somewhere safe until the spinning settles. Move your head slowly, avoid driving or climbing while you feel unsteady, and keep nearby walkways clear. Small sips of fluid may help if nausea has made it difficult to drink.

Arrange a medical assessment if vertigo keeps returning, affects walking, follows an ear illness, or comes with hearing changes. A clinician may check eye movements, balance, hearing, medicines, and head-position triggers. If positional vertigo is diagnosed, an Epley Manoeuvre may be recommended when appropriate.

Seek urgent medical help for sudden vertigo with weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, a new severe headache, fainting, double vision, chest pain, or inability to walk safely. Urgent assessment is also needed after a significant head injury or when severe vomiting prevents you from keeping fluids down.

Do not assume that a new or intense spinning episode is an inner-ear problem based on the sensation alone. Emergency symptoms can overlap with balance disorders, so the accompanying signs and their timing need prompt assessment.

You could ask: Could my symptoms be triggered by head position? Do I need a hearing or balance assessment? Could a medicine or migraine be contributing? Which symptoms should prompt urgent care? If an Epley Manoeuvre is suitable, should it be performed by a clinician or taught for home use?