Dizziness is an unpleasant feeling that may prompt you to visit your doctor. The condition often makes you feel light-headed, unsteady or faint, or sense that the room is spinning.
Anxiety disorders, inner ear damage, a reaction to medication or a vitamin deficiency can lead to dizziness. Before trying home remedies, consult with your doctor to make sure you don't have a serious underlying condition, such as nerve damage, Parkinson's disease or a stroke.
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A deficiency in any vitamin may keep you from feeling like your usual self. But not getting enough vitamin B12, B6 or D may lead to dizziness.
Vitamin B12 and Blood Count
When your body doesn't produce enough red blood cells, you may develop anemia. Insufficiency of red blood cells decreases the amount of oxygen that's carried through your bloodstream and leads to a host of symptoms, including fatigue and dizziness. Your body relies on vitamin B12 for red blood cell production.
Vitamin B12 primarily comes from meat sources, putting strict vegetarians at a higher risk of developing pernicious anemia, the term that describes B12 deficiency. Eggs, fish and milk also provide effective sources of vitamin B12.
For a nonanimal source of the vitamin, opt for nutritional yeast and fortified dairy and meat alternatives, such as soy-based products containing added B12, plus fortified breakfast cereals that don't contain animal-based foods.
Read more: How Much Vitamin B-12 Should I Take Daily?
Low Blood Sugar With Vitamin B6 Deficiency
Vitamin B6 is another component needed to produce healthy red blood cells. Additionally, B6 helps you maintain proper blood sugar levels. A sudden drop in glucose can lead to dizzy spells. Your body relies on B6 to convert stored carbohydrates into energy, especially when your calorie intake is low. Vitamin B6 also promotes a healthy immune system and supports your lymphatic system, which produces healthy white blood cells.
Sufficient vitamin B6 is available in fortified cereals that often give you 100 percent of your daily B6 needs. Other dietary sources include bananas, garbanzo beans, potatoes and chicken breast.
Read more: How Much Vitamin B-6 Should You Take Daily?
Vitamin D and Vertigo
Vitamin D is vital for regulating calcium and phosphorus levels in your body, which may have a role in maintaining proper ear function. According to the Vitamin D Council, vitamin D receptors located in the inner ear help regulate proper calcium balance.
Researchers examined the association between vitamin D and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, which is a balance disorder in the inner ear that causes severe dizziness. The study, published in the Journal of Auris, Nusas, Larynx in 2016, found that the recurrence of BPPV could be decreased by treating vitamin D deficiency.
Additionally, vitamin D plays a role in maintaining a healthy immune system, reducing inflammation and modulating cell growth. The primary source of vitamin D is sunlight. Salmon, mackerel, cod liver oil, and fortified milk and orange juice serve as good dietary sources.
Read more: How Much Vitamin D-3 Should You Take Daily?
- Netdoctor: Anemia Due to Vitamin B12 Deficiency
- National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B6
- Journal of Auris, Nusas, Larynx: Reduction of Recurrence Rate of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo by Treatment of Severe Vitamin D Deficiency
- Vitamin D Council: Treating Vitamin D Deficiency May Help Reduce the Recurrence Rate of Vertigo, According to Study