Literally an Airhead

May 12, 2010 7:34 AM

For some time now, I have been experiencing light headedness, mostly in th AM. I have gone to cardiologists and nuero from recommendation of my primary Dr. Could this be allergies?? I do have allergies but have never had the lightheadedness with it. I also do notice it seems to be mroe present after a night where I have had some drinks.
posted by MDK to Health & Fitness (21 answers total)

Stop drinking and see if it goes away.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:39 AM on May 12, 2010

Could it be sleep deprivation? Both allergies and drinking can cause these things.
posted by elder18 at 7:39 AM on May 12, 2010

Response by poster: I have tried stopping drinking and it still appears.....maybe some sleep deprivation makes some sense, but I think I get a good amount of sleep.
posted by MDK at 7:45 AM on May 12, 2010

You may get a good amount of sleep, but it all depends on how well and deeply you sleep. Also, are you particularly anxious? I have anxiety, and while I sleep quite a bit, I still wake up feeling not refreshed and this does result in light headedness.
posted by elder18 at 7:47 AM on May 12, 2010

Alcohol can cause light headedness, so if you are concerned about lightheadedness, you should not be drinking alcohol. If you notice black spots forming in your vision temporarily when you stand up, along with the light headedness, that would be a symptom of low blood pressure. A heart arhythmia is possible; that would be something that your cardiologist would be checking for. I really doubt that this is related to an allergy. I am sure that your doctor was correct in referring you to a cardiologist and a neurologist rather than to an allergy specialist.
posted by grizzled at 7:49 AM on May 12, 2010

Dehydration? Have you had your blood iron levels checked (ie are you anemic)?
posted by schmod at 7:53 AM on May 12, 2010

Are you sure it isn't dehydration? That can cause lightheadedness. It would also be consistent with feeling worse after having drunk the night before, since alcohol can cause/worsen dehydration.
posted by badmoonrising at 7:54 AM on May 12, 2010

Coffee maybe? I was getting lightheaded and just feeling...really strange, on and off for months, and could not for the life of me figure out what was causing it. Finally I realized that I could no longer tolerate coffee, which I'd been drinking for two decades with no problems. I switched to decaf and it totally stopped. (Also maybe you're drinking more coffee the morning after you drink alcohol?)
posted by DestinationUnknown at 7:57 AM on May 12, 2010

Response by poster: Both cardio and neuro found nothing....anxiety may make sense. I do have a lot of family issues currently going on.
posted by MDK at 7:59 AM on May 12, 2010

Low blood pressure? That's what does it for me, especially when I have to wake up to an alarm instead of waking up on my own.
posted by JoanArkham at 8:04 AM on May 12, 2010

Dehydration causes lightheadedness in me by inducing orthostatic hypotension. In my case, it's not just when standing up, which is the typical symptom.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 8:07 AM on May 12, 2010

Sleep apnea?
posted by vsync at 8:15 AM on May 12, 2010

Sweets and desserts in the evening give me the exact same symptoms. I guess sugar level rises and then suddenly drop while I'm sleeping...
posted by 3dd at 8:16 AM on May 12, 2010

Blood sugar levels? Try having a glass of orange juice before you get out of bed. (Either keep one nearby, or have someone bring you one)
posted by olinerd at 8:16 AM on May 12, 2010

Response by poster: they check my BS...that was OK. And coffee I drink, but a cup MAYBE two in the morning. Nothing more or less than any other day. This is just really getting to be aggrivating because it seemed to have gone away for a couple weeks and then started again.
posted by MDK at 8:22 AM on May 12, 2010

Totally dehydration. Keep some water by your bed, force yourself to drink some when you wake up.
posted by anaelith at 8:43 AM on May 12, 2010

I'm with vsync. It could be sleep apnea and that shouldn't be played with. You might want to get your doc to order a sleep study.
posted by inturnaround at 8:53 AM on May 12, 2010

It absolutely could be allergies. I've had extended periods of being lightheaded and dizzy the past few years (for me it seemed to occur in the afternoon). The doctor's and nurse practitioners at my medical group were flummoxed. Yes my blood pressure was at the very low end of the normal range, but that shouldn't be it. Everything else was OK. Then finally last fall, one of the NP's put together that I came in practically every spring and fall, at the height of allergy season, complaining of being light-headed or dizzy. She mentioned that allergies can affect you in more ways than stuffy noses and itchy eyes and some of the associated symptoms of allergies are quite unexpected.
posted by kaybdc at 9:04 AM on May 12, 2010 [1 favorite]

My inner ears are so jacked up from years of sinusitis that it doesn't take much congestion to give me lightheadedness or, on bad days, full-on vertigo.

I am also so allergic to something in beer that I can't even get through a crappy light one without my sinuses slamming shut. A similar allergy might be exacerbating your situation.

On a really bad day, I have to take a Sudafed to stop the dizziness. Otherwise if I'm dutiful with my Zyrtec and take a Mucinex if I feel like I'm getting stuffy it's not too much of a bother.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:07 AM on May 12, 2010

Do you take any medications? Allegra, for instance, can cause dizziness.
posted by dilettante at 4:51 PM on May 12, 2010

I also think dehydration, especially since it occurs along with drinking. It's an easy thing to test, anyway.
posted by oneirodynia at 8:28 PM on May 12, 2010