Vertigo is a feeling of being off-balance or spinning. You might feel nauseous or see double. A doctor can help you figure out what’s wrong. Dizzy spells can be caused by a wide variety of conditions. Some of them are surprising.
Does smoking make vertigo worse? Find out this and more facts about vertigo with this guide!
What Is Vertigo?
Vertigo is a medical condition that causes dizziness or lightheadedness. Vertigo is a common problem. Most people experience vertigo once or twice during their lifetime. However, some people suffer from chronic vertigo.
Chronic vertigo occurs when a person experiences vertigo over an extended period of time. Some of the most common causes of chronic vertigo include Meniere’s disease, vestibular neuritis, and labyrinthine disorders.
Vertigo is a common symptom of many different health problems. Most of these problems are treatable. However, if left untreated, vertigo could lead to permanent damage. To prevent this, seek treatment right away.
Bad Habits For Vertigo Sufferers
Vertigo is caused by inner ear problems. Stress, dehydration, and lack of sleep can cause vertigo. Caffeine can worsen vertigo. Avoiding alcohol, salty foods, and coffee can help prevent vertigo.
Does Smoking Make Vertigo Worse?
It is unknown specifically whether smoking can be said to make vertigo worse. Some people may feel the effects of vertigo during or after smoking, others may not. However, smoking in general is of course extremely bad for you.
Vertigo is more common among smokers. Treatment efficacy is reduced in smokers. Vertigo patients should refrain from smoking during the course of treatment. Neurotologists should inquire about the patient’s smoking history and advise them to stop smoking.
Types Of Vertigo
There are two types of vertigo: Central and Peripheral. Both cause dizziness but differ in how they affect the body.
Central vertigo affects the brain and results in nausea, vomiting, headaches, blurred vision, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and other symptoms.
Peripheral vertigo affects the inner ear and results in hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and other symptoms.
Vertigo is a symptom of many diseases, but there are also drugs that treat it. Find out from a doctor if you’re suffering from vertigo or not, and then learn about the different kinds of treatment available.
How Is Peripheral Vertigo Treated?
Peripheral Vertigo is a condition that causes dizziness when you stand up quickly. You can manage this condition by exercising and taking anti-inflammatories.
Meniere’s disease is a condition that causes vertigo and hearing loss. Salt, caffeine, and alcohol can worsen Meniere’s disease, and stress can trigger it.
Surgery is recommended for some inner-ear problems, but many people who experience dizziness or imbalance do not require this treatment.
Balance exercises, lifestyle changes, medications, and motion sickness medicine are used to treat peripheral vertigo. Medications are often prescribed to reduce symptoms.
How Is Central Vertigo Treated?
Vertigo is caused by inner ear problems. Treating the problem is the only way to control the condition. Migraine headaches are the most common cause of vertigo.
Medication and reducing stress may be helpful. Some ongoing conditions require medications or other treatments. Stroke triggers vertigo and other symptoms.
Meniere’s disease
Meniere’s disease causes vertigo and hearing problems. It usually starts with one episode of vertigo, followed by several episodes over time. The first episode is called an acute attack.
Other symptoms include headache, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), pain behind the eyes (retroorbital pressure), and nausea.
Treatment includes medication and surgery.
Symptoms
Meniere’s disease causes loss of hearing, vertigo, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. Hearing loss is often associated with aging and exposure to loud noises.
Ear fullness may occur when someone puts too much weight on the ears. Sensitivity to sound may cause pain if someone is exposed to certain pitches of noise.
Treatment
There is no cure for Meniere’s disease. Treatment generally focuses around controlling symptoms, and reducing the number of attacks.
Medication is given to control vertigo and nausea. Lifestyle changes and stress management are recommended, as are dietary changes – particularly a low salt diet.
Pressure Pulse Devices can be used to help relieve the build up of pressure and reduce vertigo for people who do not respond to medical treatment.
Chemical ablation is when a medicine is used to destroy the balance system of the inner ear. This can cause severe dizziness and make the patient feel sick.
Surgery is the most extreme treatment for this problem. It could cause permanent damage to the ears.
Details Of Vertigo
Vertigo occurs when there is a conflict between the signals sent by different parts of the body. Your vision system tells you what your position is relative to the rest of the environment.
But your vestibular system (inner ear) tells you how you’re moving. When these two systems disagree, vertigo results.
Causes
Vertigo is sometimes caused by injury to the ear or head, migraine headaches, decreased blood flow to the brain, and other conditions.
Less common causes of vertigo are a non-cancerous growth in the middle ear (cholesteatomas), brain tumors, and cancer that has spread from another part of the patient’s body (metastatic).
Immediate medical attention is needed if symptoms occur suddenly with changes in speech or vision or any loss of function.
Vertigos that occur with loss of function in a specific area of the body can be caused by a problem in the brain (stroke TIA), alcohol or many prescription and non prescribed medications.
Genetics
People who inherit a gene that makes them feel dizzy when they smoke their first cigarette are more likely to become addicted to smoking later in life.
People who suffer from dizziness often end up becoming addicted to smoking. Smoking causes many health problems such as cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and lung damage.
A genetic variant in the CHRNA10 gene may be linked to nicotine addiction. People who feel dizzy after smoking may have a genetic predisposition to become addicted to nicotine.
Dizziness and tobacco addictions are both linked to the same genetic variation. Dizziness may be linked to genetic factors that influence how nicotine attaches to receptors in the brain.
People who smoke tend to be genetically predisposed to become addicted to cigarettes. Genetic factors play a role in determining whether someone starts smoking and how easy it is to quit.
Researchers have found out that nicotine receptors play an important role in smoking behavior.
People who carry specific gene variants associated with nicotine addiction are more likely to smoke more often, and those who carry the variant are also more likely to get lung cancer.
Smoking kills millions of people every year. It is a major risk factor for six of eight leading causes of death. More than 20% of Americans smoke cigarettes.
DOs And DON’Ts In Managing Vertigo
Do take medicines as prescribed. Call your health care provider if hearing loss or one-side facial numbness and tingle occurs, especially if accompanied by a headache.
Don’t ignore vertigo, especially if accompanied by other symptoms. Don’t use very high doses of acetaminophen (such as Tylenol). Acetaminophen may cause vertigo when taken in high doses.
Don’t forget to tell your doctor if you’re taking any medications or other supplements. Some may make you dizzy.
Conclusion
Vertigo can be caused by and made worse by many things. Smoking could well be one of them – and is unhealthy anyway. If you think that smoking is a cause of your vertigo, it’s a good reason to stop!
