Dizziness means being unsteady, but people use it to describe different things. But in general terms, dizziness often refers to three main things. The first is what we call Vertigo. That’s dizziness with the sensation of the room going round, the room spinning, often accompanied by feeling or even being sick.

The second is feeling lightheaded as if you’re about to faint, and the third is being off-balance. Not feeling lightheaded, but struggling to get balance could have different causes, so it’s worth working out which one of these you’ve got because the treatment will also be different.

Vertigo is usually due to an inner ear problem, often an acute infection caused by a virus, but it can be things like Meniere’s disease or a condition called BPPV, or sometimes migraine. The experience of feeling lightheaded could more likely be caused by low blood pressure when you stand up. The blood has to be pumped harder to get to your brain. It could also be due to dehydration, very hot weather, low blood sugar, or, for instance, feeling generally unwell. So recreational drugs or having a fever can make you feel lightheaded. Anemia, palpitations, and any abnormal heart rhythm can also make you feel lightheaded because blood isn’t getting to your brain.

The third one, feeling off-balance, can be for lots of causes because there are so many things that have to happen for you to balance. Your brain has to receive messages from your feet and your inner ear. It has to process them, and it has to send them back. So being off your legs can be for a whole variety of different causes. If your symptoms have an obvious cause, alcohol, recreational drugs, which obviously can affect your brain, or being very dehydrated, going out in very hot weather, then fine.

But if the symptoms persist, or there isn’t an obvious cause, you might need to see the doctor as soon as you can.