Dizzyness

by Bryan
(Ireland)

Hi, I'm a 30 year old male. I have been suffering with anxiety all my life but I recently started having panic attacks and GAD.. I have been getting better the last few weeks but I have constant dizziness and I was wondering... has anyone been suffering with this and could they recommend anything or any advice.. Thanks!

Reply from Sound-Mind.org

Hi Bryan!

I'd have to say that dizziness is one of the more upsetting complaints when it comes to anxiety & panic. Not only is the feeling unwanted, but it's distressing and makes doing things very difficult. Just the feeling alone causes more anxiety and can contribute to panic attacks. Believe me when I tell you that I understand your frustration!

First of all, stress causes us to breathe differently -- sometimes we begin to breathe more shallow, causing us to hypo-ventilate and sometimes we can begin to over-breathe by taking too deep of breaths, which leads to hyper-ventilation... either one can contribute to feelings of lightheadedness and/or dizziness, sometimes even contributing to feelings of unreality, and depersonalization. In this case, I would highly recommend practicing some breathing exercises to help get into a better habit of breathing -- You will find some exercises here: FREE BREATHING EXERCISES

Also, if you haven't seen your doctor about your anxiety, I encourage you to have a check up! It's important to rule out any physical causes for your anxiety and panic! Believe it or not, things like magnesium deficiency, B12 deficiency, low iron can cause symptoms of anxiety.

Try not to let dizziness scare you! Of all the people I have spoken to, the dizziness scares them and causes them to continue the anxiety cycle. Whatever you do, try to focus on a good breathing method when you feel stressed. The more you practice, the easier it will be for you to remember during stressful situations.

Hang in there! Education is key!
~ Susan