Dizziness caused by the inner ear may feel like a whirling or spinning sensation (vertigo), unsteadiness or lightheadedness and it may be constant or intermittent.
How does inner ear infection affect balance?
Ear infections and other causes of inflammation within your ears can make you feel unsteady and dizzy by interfering with normal function in the area. Meniere’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear, changes the fluid volume in your ear, potentially leading to
vertigo
and hearing loss.
Why does an ear infection make you feel unbalanced?
If the inner ear becomes infected, usually from a virus, it can cause this inner ear condition. When the vestibular nerve swells from the infection, the signals to the brain are thrown off and result in vertigo, dizziness,
balance problems
, nausea and even difficulty concentrating.
Why does an inner ear infection make you dizzy?
You might still feel dizzy and
off
-balance even when the other symptoms caused by the infection have gone. This can be a sign that the balance organs were damaged. Your brain can usually learn to work with these changes, so your sense of balance should usually come back by itself.
Why do I feel so weak with ear infection?
It
may feel as if the affected ear is underwater
. If the eardrum tears or bursts due to the build of pressure from the infection, fluid may drain from the ear. A fever and general tiredness can also accompany a middle ear infection.
How do you fix inner ear imbalance?
- Sit on the edge of your bed. Turn your head 45 degrees to the right.
- Quickly lie down on your left side. Stay there for 30 seconds.
- Quickly move to lie down on the opposite end of your bed. …
- Return slowly to sitting and wait a few minutes.
- Reverse these moves for the right ear.
Do ear infections affect balance?
Labyrinthitis
is an inner ear infection that affects your balance. It’s sometimes called vestibular neuritis.
How do you check for ear imbalance?
- Hearing tests. Difficulties with hearing are frequently associated with balance problems.
- Posturography test. …
- Electronystagmography and videonystagmography. …
- Rotary chair test. …
- Dix-Hallpike maneuver. …
- Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials test. …
- Imaging tests. …
- Blood pressure and heart rate tests.
How do you know if you have an inner ear imbalance?
- Sense of motion or spinning (vertigo)
- Feeling of faintness or lightheadedness (presyncope)
- Loss of balance or unsteadiness.
- Falling or feeling like you might fall.
- Feeling a floating sensation or dizziness.
- Vision changes, such as blurriness.
- Confusion.
What are the symptoms of fluid in the ear?
- Ear pain.
- Feeling like the ears are “plugged up”
- Increasing ear pain when changing altitude, and being unable to “pop” the ears.
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Hearing loss2 or the sensation that sounds are muffled.
- A feeling of fullness in the ears.
How do I reduce inflammation in my inner ear?
Over-the-counter pain relievers like
ibuprofen (Advil)
and acetaminophen (Tylenol) Applying a warm compress on the infected ear. Applying naturopathic ear drops with ginger, tea tree, or olive oil may help with pain and inflammation.
How do you stop dizziness from ear infection?
Your doctor may recommend
OTC diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
, or prescription meclizine (Antivert), promethazine hydrochloride (Phenergan), lorazepam (Ativan), or diazepam (Valium) to help control nausea and vomiting, and to relieve dizziness and vertigo.
What happens if an inner ear infection goes untreated?
Untreated chronic ear infections can also
cause tears in the eardrum
. These tears will typically heal within a few days, though in more extreme cases, surgical repair might be required. The other primary risk of leaving an ear infection untreated is that the infection could spread beyond the ear.
Can you have an ear infection for months?
Chronic
otitis
media- This is a middle ear infection that does not go away, or happens repeatedly, over months to years. The ear may drain (have liquid coming out of the ear canal). It can often be accompanied by a tympanic membrane perforation and hearing loss. Usually chronic otitis media is not painful.
How long can you leave an ear infection untreated?
A chronic ear infection can last for 6 weeks or more, but most infections are viral and go away on their own
after 3 days
without needing to see a doctor. Children are more likely to get an ear infection when they’re exposed to illness from other kids, especially during the winter months.
How do you know if an ear infection has spread to the brain?
The deadliest complication of otitis media is a brain abscess, an accumulation of pus in the brain due to an infection. The most common symptoms are
headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, neurologic deficits and altered consciousness
.
