Vertigo

Vertigo feels like you or everything around you is spinning – enough to affect your balance. It's more than just feeling dizzy . A vertigo attack can last from a few seconds to hours. If you have severe vertigo, it can last for many days or months.

There are things you can do to ease vertigo symptoms when they're happening, and to reduce how often it happens. Do lie still in a quiet, dark room to reduce the spinning feeling move your head carefully and slowly during daily activities sit down straight away when you feel dizzy turn on the lights if you get up at night use a walking stick if you're at risk of falling sleep with your head slightly raised on 2 or more pillows get out of bed slowly and sit on the edge of the bed for a while before standing up try to relax – anxiety can make vertigo worse Don’t do not bend over to pick things up – squat to lower yourself instead do not stretch your neck – for example, while reaching up to a high shelf

If you have vertigo, a GP will ask about your symptoms to try to find out what could be causing them. A simple test that involves you moving quickly from a sitting to a lying position might be done to check your balance. This could bring on symptoms. You might also be referred to a specialist for further tests.

Most people with vertigo get better without treatment. Treatment will depend on the cause. A GP might prescribe antibiotics if it's caused by an infection. You could also be given exercises to do to try to correct your balance. Antihistamines can sometimes help with vertigo symptoms.

Inner ear problems, which affect balance, are the most common causes of vertigo. These include: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) – where specific head movements cause vertigo labyrinthitis – an inner ear infection caused by a cold or flu virus vestibular neuritis – inflammation of the vestibular nerve Ménière's disease – a rare inner ear condition, which sometimes involves ringing in the ear ( tinnitus ) or loss of hearing Other things that can cause vertigo include: migraine some types of medicine – check the leaflet to see if it's listed as a side effect Sometimes the cause is unknown.