The first time your child felt dizzy, you had them sit down and gave them a drink of water. The episode lasted a minute or two, your child bounced right back to feeling fine, and both of you promptly forgot all about it.
But now that they’ve complained of feeling “woozy” or “lightheaded” a few more times since then, you’re concerned. What’s going on? Could it be a sign of something serious?
It can be hard to know what’s causing your child’s dizziness. When it happens repeatedly, it’s important to see our team at THINK Neurology for Kids for an evaluation. With offices in The Woodlands, Katy, Sugar Land, and San Antonio, Texas, we can get to the bottom of the problem and work to address it.
Dizziness is a feeling of “fuzziness” in the head. It’s not the same as lightheadedness, which equates to feeling faint, like you’re about to pass out. It’s also not the same as having vertigo, which makes you feel like the room is spinning, or like you’re moving when you’re still.
While younger children may not be able to articulate which of these similar sensations they’re experiencing, older kids usually can. If your child is having a dizzy spell, they may say:
They may have other symptoms, too — like nausea, ringing in the ears, a rapid heartbeat, a pale appearance, or a sudden surge of warmth.
Kids can have dizzy spells for many different reasons. Most are minor concerns that you can resolve with extra care or situational caution; others require medical treatment, and some are more serious and require longer-term management. Let’s take a closer look:
The leading cause of dizzy spells is reduced blood flow to the brain for a short period. This can be triggered by many routine circumstances, such as:
You may find, for example, that your teen athlete gets dizzy while playing their sport on hot days when they sweat a lot, don’t hydrate adequately, and exert maximal effort.
Dizziness and nausea are the main symptoms of motion sickness, which many kids get when traveling by car — especially if they’re looking at a screen. With developing sensory systems that don’t always work in sync, younger kids are particularly vulnerable.
Fever can trigger dizzy spells, as can many viral illnesses; kids with the flu may feel a bit dizzy due to weakness from illness. Congestion and ear infections can disrupt the vestibular system and trigger dizziness, too.
Recurrent dizzy spells may be an adverse side effect of a medication. For example, certain antibiotics, pain relievers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety drugs can cause dizziness.
Dizziness is also a possible side effect of allergy medications (antihistamines) and ADHD medications (stimulants and non-stimulants).
Dizziness may point to anemia from low iron levels or a low red blood cell count. In younger children, an iron-deficient diet or rapid growth spurt is often to blame; adolescent girls may develop anemia through heavy monthly periods (excess blood loss).
Intense episodes of stress or anxiety can lead to momentary dizzy spells triggered by emotional distress or hyperventilation.
A slight misalignment of the eyes (binocular vision dysfunction), or eyes that don’t “track together,” focusing on the same object at the same time (strabismus), can cause dizzy spells.
A recent head trauma (concussion) can cause lingering dizzy spells. At THINK Neurology for Kids, we use a short, computerized evaluation called ImPACT® testing to check cognitive functioning following a suspected concussion.
Migraine attacks aren’t just a problem for adults; many kids get them, too. For some kids, migraine causes dizziness and feelings of motion sickness throughout the headache episode.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), a common form of vertigo among younger patients, triggers bouts of “spinning dizziness” when the small crystals within the inner ear become displaced — often triggered by a change in head position — affecting balance.
If your child has been having dizzy spells, don’t delay — schedule an appointment at THINK Neurology for Kids today. It’s especially important to seek expert evaluation if your child’s dizziness leads to fainting, persists despite rest and fluids, or is accompanied by concerning symptoms like chest pain or weakness.
Our team — including Shaun Varghese, MD, Cristina Marchesano, MD, Lorena Herbert, MD, Barbara Kiersz-Mueller, DO, Lauren Weaver, MD, Alicia Walls, MD, Sundeep Mandava, MD, Sherwin Oommen, MD, Robby Korah, FNP-C, Jennifer Duchaney, CPNP-PC, Tammy DeLaGarza, FNP-C, and Heather King, CPNP-PC — is here to provide the answers you need.
