Everything you need to know about a sinus infection and dizziness
It’s not uncommon to experience a sinus infection and dizziness at the same time, but any time you experience dizziness you should get it checked out. Dizziness is light-headedness or a feeling like you might faint. It also involves a loss of balance or feeling of vertigo, which is much like the room is spinning.
Reasons a sinus infection and dizziness go hand in hand
The direct cause of dizziness is lack of blood flow to the brain, so it’s easy to see why a sinus infection and dizziness go together. Let’s get down to the basics. If you’re running a fever with your sinus infection, then it’s quite possible you are dehydrated. Your brain also may not be getting enough blood because your sinuses are congested, and this can restrict blood flow near them.
In addition to dizziness, common symptoms of a sinus infection are a runny nose, headache, and fatigue. It’s also very common to feel pain in the jaws, teeth, and under the eyes as the inflamed sinuses press on these areas. However, it is possible to have a sinus infection and have very few, if any, symptoms.
How to treat a sinus infection
You should always make sure to drink plenty of fluids when you have a sinus infection. You should also make sure to get plenty of rest if you’re suffering from a sinus infection. You certainly don’t need to be moving around a lot if you are dizzy. You also might try any of the few home treatments for a sinus infection. Steam is one of the easiest treatments to do. If you have a vaporizer, then you can try running it in your bedroom at night. Otherwise, just turn the hot shower on in your bathroom and keep the door closed. This will provide you with steam to clear your sinuses.
There are also plenty of medications available to treat a sinus infection. A saline nasal spray can help relieve some of the pressure in your nostrils by loosening the mucus. Sometimes doctors may prescribe antibiotics, although it can be difficult to know if a sinus infection is caused by bacterial or a virus. In some cases, they will prescribe antibiotics just to cover all the bases. For more serious cases of sinus infections, doctors will prescribe corticosteroids to reduce inflammation in the sinuses. There are also plenty of over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol or ibuprofen which can help with the pain associated with a sinus infection.
Preventing a sinus infection
Of course the best treatment for a sinus infection is prevention, and there are many things you can do to avoid getting a sinus infection. Washing your hands is a critical part of avoiding bacteria and viruses that can cause infections. Also a healthy diet is important if you simply want to avoid getting sick very often. Healthy foods build up your immune system so that it’s better prepared to fight off any possible infections before they can set in.