Menopause and Dizziness: Is It a Symptom? Here’s What You Need to Know

Understanding Dizziness During Menopause

What is dizziness? This term is used to describe many sensations like feeling faint and disoriented (light-headedness), unsteady like you’re about to lose balance and fall, or a feeling that the world is spinning around you (vertigo).

Dizziness is not a health condition – it is a symptom caused by other health issues.

Even though menopausal symptoms do not usually mention dizziness, many women have reported experiencing it. 

Possible Causes of Dizziness During Menopause

Wondering what causes these spells of dizziness during menopause? Is it the hormones, stress, or something else? Here is a list of possible causes of dizziness during menopause.

1. Hormonal Changes:

Oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining your postural balance. During menopause, the decline in oestrogen affects the fine balance of your vestibular system (complex structures of the inner ear and their nerve pathways, responsible for balance and posture) impacting the processing of spatial orientation and balance. This results in sensations of light-headedness or dizziness.

2. Hot Flashes and Night Sweats:

Hot flashes are a common symptom of menopause – you feel a sudden wave of heat spreading through your body, causing a rise in your body temperature and sweating. When hot flashes happen at night, it is called night sweats. The sudden increase of body temperature combined with excessive sweating and dehydration can leave you tired and make you feel dizzy.

3. Low Blood Pressure:

In some women, the hormonal changes during menopause lead to a drop in blood pressure, causing a racing heart, a feeling of light-headedness and loss of balance if you stand up too quickly (postural hypotension).

4. Anxiety and Stress:

Hormone changes during nopause affect your mental health as well – it can leave you with feelings of anxiety, depression, stress, mood swings and low self-esteem. This can also contribute to the dizziness you experience during menopause.

5. Dehydration:

Hormonal fluctuations during menopause affect your body’s ability to retain water. Along with that, menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats cause sweating, leading to further water loss. These changes make you more susceptible to dehydration and can make you feel tired, dizzy or light-headed. 

6. Vestibular Disorders:

The vestibular system, consisting of inner ear structures and complex nerve pathways maintains your balance and spatial orientation. Hormonal changes happening during menopause, particularly the decline in oestrogen can exacerbate vestibular disorders, and cause vertigo or unsteadiness.

When to Worry: Warning Signs and Red Flags

Dizziness is usually not a cause for worry, but sometimes, it might be your body’s way of telling you about underlying health issues. These symptoms indicate red flags and require medical attention:

1. Severe or Persistent Dizziness:

Is dizziness making it difficult to open your eyes or even sit up? If you experience dizziness frequently and it disrupts your daily activities, it is important to consult a healthcare professional to rule out any underlying causes.

2. Other Symptoms to Look Out For:

If dizziness is associated with any of these symptoms, get emergency medical attention. It could be a sign of cardiovascular disease or other serious health conditions.

• Severe headache
• Chest pain
• Trouble breathing
• Blurred or double vision
• Vomiting
• Weakness or numbness of arms, legs or face
• Slurred speech

3. Hearing Loss or Tinnitus:

If dizziness is accompanied by loss of hearing or ringing or buzzing noise in your ear (tinnitus), it could suggest possible inner ear issues or Meniere’s disease, which requires medical treatment.

How to Manage and Alleviate Dizziness During Menopause

Don’t let dizziness hold you back during this transformative phase. Here are some expert-recommended tips for managing dizziness during menopause:

1. Stay Hydrated:

• Drink plenty of water – staying hydrated maintains your blood pressure and helps reduce the chances of experiencing dizziness.

2. Eat a Balanced Diet:

• Certain nutritional deficiencies like iron and vitamin B12 can cause dizziness. A well-balanced diet gives you all the nutrients required by your body to function well and keep you healthy.

3. Practise Stress Reducing Techniques:

• We have already seen how anxiety and stress you experience during menopause can lead to dizziness. Taking steps to relieve stress, like yoga, breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation, and mindfulness, can help reduce stress-related dizziness.

4. Regular Exercise:

• “Regular physical activity is a lifestyle with the potential to decrease the risk of vertigo in women.” - Physical Activity in the Prevention of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, Pubmed.
• Even simple exercises like walking or riding a cycle improve your balance and circulation and help reduce dizziness.

5. Avoid Sudden Movements:

• Sometimes, you may feel light-headed when you stand up quickly from a sitting or lying position. This is called postural hypotension, the sudden drop in your blood pressure while changing posture. Avoiding sudden movements can reduce the chances of blood pressure drops and dizziness.

6. Track the Triggers:

• Keep a diary of when you experience dizziness – this can help you identify possible causes, such as certain foods, medications, activities or the time of the day.

Treatment Options for Persistent Dizziness

Is dizziness troubling you? It’s time to take control – of your balance!

Here is a list of treatment options for persistent dizziness:

1. Consult Your Doctor:

• If you experience dizziness frequently or are accompanied by other symptoms like headache, chest pain, or vomiting, consult a healthcare professional and get a full evaluation done. Your doctor might ask you to get blood tests, check your blood pressure or carry out vestibular function tests to identify the cause of dizziness.

2. Medications:

• In certain cases, like if your dizziness is caused by other health issues, your doctor may prescribe medications.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT):

• HRT is a treatment that replaces and stabilises the hormones that have declined during menopause. If you are experiencing severe menopausal symptoms, HRT can help you. 

A study has shown that initiation of hormone therapy soon after menopause rapidly improves postural balance to levels normally seen in young women.

Prevention Tips

What if you can avoid all the frustration and inconvenience caused by dizzy spells? Here are some tips to help you keep dizziness at bay:

1. Avoid the Cause:

• Is your dizziness brought on by certain foods, alcohol, standing for long periods, or crowded places? If so, avoiding these factors can help you prevent dizziness.

2. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle:

• Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and practise stress-relieving methods like yoga and pranayama. Also, make sure you don’t skip your routine medical checkups.

3. Use Supportive Products:

• Using non-slip mats and grab bars in the bathroom can help prevent accidents due to sudden dizziness. You can also use wearable devices to monitor your blood pressure and oxygen levels regularly.

The Bottom Line

Dizziness during menopause is more common than you think. It may happen due to hormonal fluctuations, stress, dehydration or other health conditions. 

Though most cases of dizziness can be managed with simple lifestyle modifications and tips, very severe or frequent bouts of dizziness require medical attention.

Ladies, do not let your menopausal years go off-balance!

Our expert Ayurveda and Yoga practitioners at Nirva are here to guide you on every step of your wellness journey. Book your appointment now.