anyone feel unbalanced everyday?

[ddonaghey1989]

i constantly feel like im swaying it doesnt bother me too much when i dont feel extremely anxious. but when im anxious its like i look for it. il sit and say oh i dont feel dizzy now why and i panic and obviously i feel like the floors bopping up and down. its taking over my life. im also afraid of medication which is a nightmare :( im at counselling which isnt helping. i dont no what else to do anyone else feel like this or have in the past hw did you get rid of it. i no not thinking about it makes it go away but i struggle to do that x

[HoneyLove]

Hi there,

Have you talked to your GP about this?

You may have a bit of a problem with your balance system causing you to feel like this. I have similar problems, anxiety is not the cause of it but it definitely makes it worse and feeling imbalanced itself can make you very anxious.

Anxiety and dizziness can go hand in hand, but it's important to get treatment if you genuinely have a problem with your balance.

[ddonaghey1989]

ive seen an ent who told me it was stress cudn see anything wrong and the neurologist said the same even though they didnt do any tests. do you mind me asking what problem you have with yours? ive never rell over bt at times i feel like im being pulled and all of the time i feel like im on a boat its driving me insane i spend my days thinking about it its taking over my life :(

[NE21 worrier]

Yep, anxiety and dizziness are all too commonly found together, as explained in the Symptoms article on the left-hand side of this site:



Dizziness or light-headedness

What you feel:

You feel suddenly light-headed, woozy or dizzy. This is sometimes accompanied by a feeling that you might faint or pass out. It also may feel as though you are walking on a boat, or that the floor seems to move up and down and it's hard to balance. You may also have difficulty placing your feet because your perception of the ground or floor may be wrong. In some cases it may seem that even though you are standing on a firm floor, the floor may be vibrating or moving.
This is a very common feeling that most sufferers get. It's usually as a result of hyperventilation but also of intense fear and the adrenalin hit.
Feeling faint is very worrying and very frightening. You feel as though you are going to pass out or the whole world seems to be spinning and you cannot focus on anything. Your vision is blurred and this causes more Panic as you are now 'sure' that you will pass out or collapse.
Even when you convince yourself that you will not faint, the feeling of un-steadiness or dizziness remains. This feeling can go on for minutes or hours and there seems to be no end to it.

What causes this:
This symptom has a few variations. Some people may experience a sudden head rush feeling, which goes almost as quickly as it comes. As long as the individual doesn't react with more fear, the symptom will come and go and will vary in frequency from a number of times per day, to a few times a month.
Another variation includes a constant state of unbalance, spinning, wooziness, fogginess and so on. Often it is accompanied by a feeling that you may pass out (some people do, however, that's not common).
This symptom has a few causes. It could be from a blood sugar imbalance, hyperventilation (not getting enough oxygen) or an inner ear or ear pressure condition.
This is a common symptom and sometimes an individual can experience both forms, and at different times.
There are tests available that can accurately identify a blood sugar imbalance, however, most often this isn't the main cause. Typically, those with anxiety disorder have their blood sugar levels within the safe range when tested. However, long periods without eating may aggravate the condition because blood sugar levels may drop too low because of not eating. It's important to eat regular wholesome and natural food so that the fluctuations in blood sugar remain in the normal range.
If you are experiencing this symptom, having medical tests may be beneficial - certainly, to rule out any other cause.
If your symptom is a result of hyperventilation, deliberately deep slow breathing will reduce and even eliminate this symptom. While deep relaxation will help to diminish and eliminate most symptoms, I found that this symptom is one that hangs on the longest, and is the least responsive to immediate counter action. However, regular exercise provided me with results though not immediate.


Try to steady your breathing and sit quietly somewhere so that you can concentrate on it. The more you Panic and worry, the worse you will feel.
Try to occupy and distract your mind with something so you don't focus on the dizziness and if necessary sit down for a while to help get your balance back.
As with all symptoms, when the nervous system gets sufficient rest, this symptom will diminish and eventually subside


^ Quite long but genuinely worth getting a cuppa and read through. Indeed, I've gone through that whole page (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms/) nodding knowingly but smiling as I now know that these things do not last. You WILL overcome.

Thanks,
Peter

[ddonaghey1989]

id like to believe that but im feeling this way everyday for nearly a year and its still not away my anxiety is getting worse the past few days :(

[HoneyLove]

It's weird that they never gave you any tests for it, sometimes you have to push for these things.

It might be a good idea to have a look in your area for someone who does Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT). They can assess you balance, tell you if you actually have an issue with your balance system and give you some exercises that help with it. If this has been going on for over a year then the VRT would be well worth looking into. The website vestibular.org is an excellent resource and has lists of balance therapists from all around the world, worth taking a look at.

My balance issue isn't properly diagnosed yet, but my VRT therapist thinks that I have something called migraine associated vertigo that's being triggered by muscle tension in my jaw and neck. I'm currently working to try and reduce the tension by working on my posture & doing yoga and I hope it will help.

I've had this problem on and off for seven years, but I've had it permanently for the last year and it's very frustrating. The VRT helped me a lot in terms of understanding what's happening and reducing the anxiety around it.

[ddonaghey1989]

ive heard alot about mav and ive been on that website. ive been addicted. do you get spinning vertigo and is it something that comes and goes? my neurologist told me that mav usually is episodic and the.propranolol im on shud of helped that. im waiting on referral for vrt. im from northern ireland so its rly difficult to find specialists here. have you been on dizzytimes?? xx

[HoneyLove]

The funny thing about MAV is that many people are told that it is episodic only, and that is the experience for some people - but you'll see from the MAV forum that this is just not true. Most sufferers have ongoing problems and experience symptoms every day. This is my situation too, I have strange symptoms every day that fluctuate.

I didn't think I had MAV until the VRT therapist told me that he thought it was my diagnosis, and when I read all the information about it on mvertigo.org I realised that he was right. If you believe that you have MAV then mvertigo.org has so much information, but it might not be a good idea to overload yourself with too much information before the VRT. It's good you're getting a referral to it, I think you'll find it will really help.

I've never gotten spinning vertigo. The kind I get is more a sense of being off balance, like I'm slightly drunk or like Im walking across a trampoline. I also get a lot of symptoms with my vision and hearing - like difficulty looking at patterns, everything bounces when I walk, and I'm very sensitive to light and sound. I also have visual vertigo that means i have trouble watching movement or travelling. Sometimes I get a spinning sensation in my head, but never full on room spinning vertigo.

I have some variation of these symptoms every day, its not really episodic, sometimes they are worse than others. They are triggered a lot by postural problems and tension in my jaw from grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw. It seems to be a jumble of problems causing it, so I'm slowly trying to work through it all.

---------- Post added at 22:31 ---------- Previous post was at 22:29 ----------

I meant to say that yes I have seen dizzytimes but I try to stay away from it as I don't want to freak myself out with stories of people having a really hard time or getting difficult diagnoses!

[ddonaghey1989]

i know what you mean about that site its horrible to hear people suffering so long. are you from the republic? wat should i expect at my vrt app? i grind my teeth also and the right sidemofnmy jaw cracks and locks alot it drives me crazy. it makes my ear feel full. im not rly sensitive to sound but bright light can sometimes give me a headache. the problem i had with vision when my dizziness was really bad was that i could see the blinds and things moving when they werent. and i get brain fog. also i had derealisation and depersonalisation to bt not as extreme as some people on here. so im rly stuck. what.made me think i had vestibular neuritis was cus it happened after a vomiting bug bt my ent said i would of had spinning vertigo but ive heard nt all people do i just dont know what to do now to help. these symptoms are taking over my life im only 24 and ive 3 young children who i really want to enjoy rather than spending my day trying not to take a panic attack :(

[HoneyLove]

I think that your jaw problem may be a big factor in why you're so dizzy. Have you ever heard of TMJ dysfunction or talked to your dentist about your jaw pain?

If you have a read about TMJ you'll find a lt of your symptoms can be a part of it. The muscle tension can create havoc with you ear and nerves and mess up your balance. I'm pretty sure it's part of what's happening to me, my VRT therapist thinks that while my jaw is flaring up it's triggering the MAV. It's all connected, since the ear and jaw are so close together.

It would be worth looking into, I'm going through that process myself now - just got a referral to a specialist in the dental hospital in Dublin who specialises in TMJ and I hope he can help.

One thing I have realised recently is that bad posture makes me neck & jaw flare up, and that makes the vestibular symptoms 10 times worse, so I'm trying to correct it. Too much looking down at my phone & ipad, and sitting at the computer all day at work makes the muscles flare up big time. Plus I grind my teeth and clench my jaw at nigh which really adds to the whole thing. You might have similar habits that are causing the same symptoms?

It's interesting that we're both teeth grinders and have these similar symptoms don't you think? It must be all tied in.

Yes I'm living in Dublin, the VRT guy I've been seeing here is very good but im kind of finished up with him for now. Your first VRT session will last about 1 & 1/2 hours and they will run several tests to identify which parts of your balance system are weaker. The tests will help them see what course of exercises you need.