Showing posts with label Dizziness After Eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dizziness After Eating. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Dizziness After Eating

Dizziness After Eating

Have you ever gotten a little lightheaded after eating a meal? Surprisingly, dizziness after eating occurs more common than one would think. Most people associate wooziness with lack of eating, causing blood sugar levels to plummet. This type of dizziness is more common in women or seniors and is rarely seen in children or young adults. Often, individuals suffering from this condition faint, which causes worries. However, they should not fret as this ailment is usually not considered serious unless it happens on a frequent basis.


What Causes Dizziness After Eating?



1. Postprandial Hypotension
Postprandial hypotension is the name of a condition that causes the pooling of blood in your abdominal organs after a meal and during digestion. When your body is processing and breaking down your food, it draws a lot blood to the intestinal organs. In some people this causes diStress on their system and they can experience dizziness after eating.


2. Medications
If you read the precautions on your medications, you will notice most of them list dizziness as a possible side effect. Common drugs causing lightheadedness include antidepressants, antihypertensive medications, high Blood Pressure medications, sedatives and Ace Inhibitors. Also, habit forming drugs can cause dizziness after eating as a symptom of withdrawal.


3. Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis occurs when your blood vessels harden, causing blood flow restrictions due to the formation of cholesterol or plaque. If you have a family history of atherosclerosis, smoke or have high cholesterol, you have a higher risk of developing this condition. When your blood flow is blocked, you feel dizzy or tired.


4. Gastritis
Gastritis occurs when the lining of your digestive tract becomes inflamed due to excess stomach acid. There are several reasons this can occur including overeating, eating too much greasy foods, drinking too much caffeinated beverages and/or alcoholic drinks. Dizziness after eating is a common symptom of gastritis.


5. Emotional Disorder
Emotional disorders bring with it a multitude of health issues. Stress can cause all kinds of havoc with your body. Depression hinders your immunity causing you to be more prone to health issues. A common consequence of all this emotional pressure is lightheadedness after a meal or snack.


6. Kidney Disorders
While you might not know it, your kidneys have a big role in regulating your blood pressure. When they are out of whack, your body has a hard time functioning properly and all kind of symptoms pop up. If you are unable to maintain your blood pressure, you may feel dizzy after eating.


7. Labyrinthitis
A common cause of dizziness after eating is a condition called labyrinthitis. This ailment occurs when the labyrinth of the inner ear is inflamed. Part of the labyrinth is the vestibule and it is responsible for sending information to your brain about head movement. When it is not working properly, it can send a false message causing lightheadedness.


8. Heart Disease
Diseases of the heart such as heart rhythm problems, congenital heart defects, Coronary Artery Disease or heart infections can cause a wide range of symptoms. Warning signs of this condition include dizziness after eating, fainting, shortness of breath and chest pain.


9. Thyroid Gland Disorder
Your thyroid affects every part of your body. It produces the thyroid hormone, which helps regulate how your body functions. Hyperthyroidism occurs when too much hormone is produced. Hypothyroidism happens when the thyroid is underactive and does not produce enough hormones. In either case, common symptoms include fatigue, lightheadedness with or without eating and exhaustion.


Ways That Help to PreventIt
No matter what condition is causing your issue, dizziness after eating is often related to an ailment that affects your blood pressure. When your blood vessels and heart do not work together properly to pump your blood, your pressure drops. In turn, you feel lightheaded, nauseated, faint and ill. However, there are ways to help prevent this condition.





1. Do Not Skip Meals
When you skip a meal, your blood pressure drops. Often, your body will work itself into frenzy and when you finally eat you will have a sudden spike in sugar. This can result in a Headache, falling, dizziness and fainting. Eating junk or fatty foods when hungry can also bring on these symptoms.


2. Do Not Overeat
When you eat too much, you feel lazy and tired and often sit for an extended period afterwards. This can cause you to feel bloated and dizzy. The best thing for your body is to eat several smaller meals throughout the day. This will help prevent all types of digestive conditions.


3. Incorporate Whole Grains into Your Diet
Eating starchy foods like rice and potatoes can cause postprandial hypotension because they quickly pass to your stomach. Foods made up of whole grains and protein are digested more slowly, thus keeping your body at normal blood pressure levels.


4. Don't Add Sugary Drinks to Your Diet
Just like eating junk food, when you drink sodas or other sugary beverages you run the risk of causing your blood sugar to spike and then quickly drop. When this happens, you will experience dizziness and may even possibly faint.


5. Eat Vegetables and Fruits
When you include lots of them in your diet, you allow powerful antioxidants into your system. Along with beneficial minerals and vitamins, they help your body fight free radicals in your system and keep it working properly.


6. Avoid Vigorous Activities
Don't push yourself too hard after a meal or you may experience dizziness after eating. When you do not allow your blood pressure to return back to normal after a meal, you can get nauseated and lightheaded. It is important to wait about an hour before doing strenuous exercises.


7. Drink Enough Water
If you keep yourself properly hydrated, you can prevent lightheadedness and dizziness brought on by Dehydration. It is important to get enough liquids into your system, stay hydrated and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Believe it or not, sometimes if you drink too much water at once you can also get dizzy.


8. Add Herbal Tea to Your Diet
Herbs like ginger and mint have soothing properties that can calm your stomach after a meal. They can help your digestive system work better, thus thwarting off dizziness.


Warning
While the condition is not common among young people, it can still occur. So no matter your age, it is important to seek the advice of your doctor. Working together, you can uncover the root of your problem and help alleviate the symptoms or side effects.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Dizziness After Eating

Dizziness After Eating

Dizziness in general is a diStressing symptom and when it occurs after eating, alarms bells generally sound. Dizziness is often hard for people to accurately describe. Sometimes they mean lightheadedness, sick to the stomach or a spinning sensation. The distinction is important as each has a different list of possibilities and may occur due to a medical condition or disease process.


Causes of Dizziness after Eating
1. Postprandial Hypotension
Blood Pressure fluctuations after eating can cause both dizziness and extreme fatigue. Checking your blood pressure before and after meals will help clarify if this is the cause. Those with high blood pressure, Diabetes and nervous system diseases such as Parkinson's are more prone to this cause of dizziness. The autonomic nervous system fails to regulate blood pressure adequately in these conditions and results in dizziness.


2. Labyrinth Disorder
The structures in the inner ear help coordinate balance and allow the perception of motion. Any disorder affecting these structures can result in dizziness. Benign positional Vertigo is part of this spectrum of causes and results in an intense spinning sensation. Meniere's disease causes dizziness and ringing in the ears.


3. Atherosclerosis
Age, high cholesterol, smoking and family history all play a role in this condition. The end result is hardening of the arteries and blockage of blood flow. People can experience dizziness and nausea after eating related to this condition. It can affect vessels in the neck, heart and digestive tract.


4. Gastritis
Inflammation of the stomach lining is called gastritis. Symptoms include dizziness, fatigue and sometimes pain and nausea after eating. Smoking, excessive caffeine and alcohol intake, NSAID use and stress all contribute to developing gastritis.


5. Emotional Disorders
All of us are prone to stress. Excessive worry, stress, grief and emotional burden can result in dizziness after eating. Those with eating disorders usually experience more intense symptoms.


6. Heart Disease
Proper circulation of blood is required for digestion. Those suffering from blockage of arteries and heart failure are often left feeling dizzy, nausea and fatigue after eating. At times severe abdominal pain can develop as the intestines are starved of blood flow and cannot digest food properly. Some people develop a fear of food and eating due to the severity of their symptoms.


7. Medication Side Effects
A variety of medications can cause dizziness, nausea and fatigue. Blood pressure medications, particularly the thiazide class, are known to cause these symptoms. Many antidepressants and Allergy medications are often taken with meals and result in dizziness after eating.


8. Dizziness-inducing Foods
High fat foods like meat, cheese and milk can cause light-headedness Fried food and salty dishes often have the same effect. Avoid eating excess seafood as certain toxins from shellfish cause dizziness, nausea and fatigue. Pickled vegetables and high salt sauces and condiments are notorious for producing similar symptoms.


9. Kidney or Thyroid Disease
The kidney and thyroid are intimately associated with metabolism, fluid balance, energy and the function of a variety of body systems. Disease of either can result in dizziness, fatigue and nausea. Other symptoms can include weight gain, leg swelling, Headaches and feeling generally weak.


Seek Help
Without a medical evaluation, it is very difficult to know the underlying cause and professional help should be sought to determine the cause of your symptoms. Once a diagnosis has been firmly established, further episodes may be managed by treating the specific symptoms and avoiding triggers.


Remedies for Dizziness after Eating
General Practices

  • Avoid Carbonated Drinks. Minimize or eliminate carbonated drinks from your diet. These types of beverages can cause or worsen dizziness.

  • Drink Water Regularly. Proper hydration can prevent dizziness. Most of us don't drink enough water. Plan for 6-8 glasses per day.

  • Keep Healthy Eating Habits. Don't skip meals as this results in plummeting blood sugar levels, dizziness and nausea. Try to keep meal times consistent and don't skip breakfast.

  • Add Whole Grains in Meals. These types of food are metabolized slowly and provide a more steady release of glucose into the bloodstream.

  • Have Fruits and Vegetables. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides powerful anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals to help keep you healthy and keep your body systems functioning optimally.

  • Relax after Eating. Relax after eating a meal and give your body time to digest the food. If you are dizzy after eating, lie down and relax until symptoms pass. Trying to "fight" through a dizzy spell can result in passing out and injuring yourself.

  • Avoid These Things. Skip condiments, sauces, alcohol, tobacco, strong tea and coffee and sweets.


  • More Natural Remedies

  • Spices. Ginger and cayenne are perfect to battle dizziness. Add a pinch to brewed tea and drink after a meal.

  • Rice Gruel. The benefit here is that rice gruel insures proper production of gastric juice to aid in digestion.

  • Coconut Water. Consider this nature's version of balanced water. Drink coconut water to normalize the environment inside the stomach and prevent dizziness and vertigo.

  • Gooseberry Juice Extract. Relieve dizziness by taking two teaspoon a few times a day.

  • Fennel Seeds. These seeds stimulate saliva production and the alkaline saliva helps soothe the stomach and prevent dizziness.


  • Video
    Here is a video for movements to relieve dizziness after eating: