Sinusitis and Dizziness – Do Clogged Sinuses Make Your Head Spin?

Sinusitis sufferers experience a symphony of symptoms. The most common are dizziness, nasal congestion, postnasal drip, clogged ears, thick mucus, and itchy throat. Ultimately, the goal of treatment is to clear up the infection, but it helps relieve symptoms down the road, especially in the case of sinusitis and dizziness, which can interfere with your ability to function.

Sinus cavities are air sacs in the skull located on the forehead, around the nose and cheeks. When these cavities fill with thick mucus that does not drain properly, a sinus infection can result. Congestion can be caused by allergies, viral, fungal, or bacterial infections. These instigators of sinus misery can work alone or together, making treatment decisions challenging.

When you are dizzy, you feel dizzy and/or physically unbalanced. Maintaining balance is a complex process that involves several different structures in the body.

Your inner ears contain structures that detect directions. They work whether your eyes are open or closed, but they work with your eyes sending signals to let your brain know where your body is in space, such as face down or face up. There are receptors in the skin and other tissues called proprioceptors that tell the brain where each part of the body is and detect when you are touching the ground or moving. Your brain processes all this information and makes sense of it, which keeps us in balance.

If the brain receives conflicting information, you get dizzy. A sinus infection can alter the pressure in the inner ear and cause a change in the cochlea (the main structure that deals with balance). The cochlea, in turn, sends a different signal to the brain, which causes dizziness.

While most sinusitis symptoms are bothersome, dizziness can make it hard to drive or perform other tasks. Therefore, it is important to seek treatment quickly. Doctors can prescribe medications to treat sinus infections, but there are also effective alternative treatments.

There is no one treatment for sinusitis that works for everyone. For example, you may need to switch antibiotics if the first one doesn’t work, or you may find that an alternative treatment that never fails for a friend doesn’t work for you at all.

Prevention of sinusitis is the best way to eliminate dizziness and other symptoms. Here are some suggestions:

• Stay well hydrated. Drink a lot of water. It makes the difference.
• Avoid highly processed foods with lots of added chemicals
• Pay attention to your body when you eat. If you get a stuffy nose after eating something, avoid that food. You are probably allergic to it.
• If the air becomes too dry, use a humidifier or vaporizer.
• If you suffer from nasal allergies, use an air conditioner (remember to keep the filter clean) or air purifier.

If it’s too late and you’re already suffering from clogged sinuses and dizziness, treatments like eucalyptus steam, over-the-counter nasal sprays, decongestants, and cayenne pepper can relieve pressure and help you regain balance quickly.

Even if you’re sure your dizziness is caused by sinus problems, see your doctor right away. It could be your sinuses, or it could be something else. Whatever the cause, dizziness can interfere with your daily activities. Deal with him quickly.