Dizziness, also known as lightheadedness, is described as an uncomfortable feeling of spinning, unsteadiness, or imbalance. An unconscious or fainting sensation can occasionally accompany dizziness.
Dizziness can happen at any time, but it is more likely to occur in crowded areas, when standing up abruptly, when shifting positions, when under stress, or when dehydrated.
Out of all of them, do you feel lightheaded more frequently in large crowds? Let's find out the reason behind your frequent dizziness in crowded areas.
Causes of dizziness in crowded places
Dizziness is actually a symptom of a common illness. That being said, being in a crowd can also cause dizziness. Here are some of the reasons why:
Stress and anxiety
The body instinctively gets ready to face or stay out of danger when it experiences stress or anxiety, which will trigger a number of physiological responses, such as elevated blood pressure, heart rate, and blood distribution changes.
Sudden and rapid changes in blood pressure can affect blood flow to the brain and the inner ear's vestibular system, which regulates body balance. As a result, you will feel a sensation of lightheadedness.
Read more: Know The Difference Between Vertigo And Dizziness
Inner-ear disorders
Inner ear disorders can play a role in causing the sensation of dizziness as well as vertigo when you are in a crowd. Sensory overstimulation in crowded spaces frequently consists of bright lights, loud noises, and lots of movement. This overstimulation affects the vestibular system and body balance, especially in people with inner ear disorders.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
Research has found a link between anxiety disorders and the risk of developing BPPV. People with anxiety disorders have double the risk of experiencing symptoms of dizziness when they are in a crowded place.
BPPV itself is a type of vertigo caused by the displacement of small calcium particles in the inner ear that can suddenly make a person feel lightheaded when the position of the head changes.
Read more: Frequent Dizziness When Standing Up Suddenly? Here Are The Causes And How To Deal With Them
Vertigo
Recent studies have shown that people with vertigo have varying levels of anxiety, from mild to severe. Thus, vertigo sufferers are more likely to feel lightheaded in crowded situations.
The majority of vertigo episodes in crowded places are temporary. However, you still need to be aware of other possible medical conditions, such as BPPV, Meniere's disease, circulatory disorders, vestibular neuritis, or severe anxiety disorders.
Therefore, see a doctor right away for an assessment and treatment recommendations if you frequently feel lightheaded in crowds or if you also experience other symptoms like intense headaches, hearing loss, trouble speaking or walking, nausea or vomiting, or weakness on one side of the body.
If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.
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- dr. Monica Salim
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Cleveland Clinic (2020). Anxiety Disorders. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9536-anxiety-disorders
Mickie Hamiter, MD (2023). Introduction to Inner Ear Disorders. Available from: https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/ear,-nose,-and-throat-disorders/inner-ear-disorders/introduction-to-inner-ear-disorders
Better Health Channel. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Available from: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo-bppv
Geri K. Metzger (2022). Vertigo. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/brain/vertigo-symptoms-causes-treatment
Zawn Villines (2023). Is dizziness a symptom of anxiety?. Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/anxiety-and-dizziness