Vertigo vs Dizziness: What's the Difference?
"Dizzy" is one of the hardest symptoms to describe. Some people mean the room is spinning. Others mean they feel light-headed, foggy or about to faint, and others mean they feel unsteady on their feet. These experiences can have very different causes, so working out which one you have is a useful first step towards the right care.
This article explains the difference between dizziness and vertigo, what the vestibular (balance) system has to do with them, and the common reasons people experience them.
Get urgent help first if needed. Call 000 if dizziness or vertigo comes with any of these: sudden severe headache, weakness or numbness in the face, arm or leg, facial droop, slurred speech, double vision, difficulty walking or swallowing, sudden hearing loss, chest pain or fainting. For more on warning signs, read When Should Dizziness Be Checked by a Doctor?
Dizziness is a broad term
Dizziness is an umbrella word for any feeling of disturbed orientation or balance. People commonly use it to describe:
- Light-headedness: feeling faint, woozy or "like I might pass out"
- Imbalance or unsteadiness: feeling off-balance when standing or walking, without the room spinning
- A vague, foggy or "rocking" sensation: sometimes described as feeling like you're on a boat
- Vertigo: a specific type of dizziness (see below)
Vertigo is a specific type of dizziness
Vertigo is the false sensation of movement: you feel that you, or your surroundings, are spinning, tilting or moving when they aren't. It is a symptom, not a diagnosis in itself.
Vertigo often points towards the vestibular system, the balance organs in the inner ear and the parts of the brain that process their signals. That's why vertigo is the symptom most often linked with vestibular conditions such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
| Dizziness (general) | Vertigo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it feels like | Light-headed, faint, foggy, unsteady | Spinning, tilting or moving when you're still |
| Common sources | Many: blood pressure, dehydration, medications, heart, anxiety, inner ear, brain | Most often the vestibular system (inner ear or its brain connections) |
| Typical triggers | Standing up quickly, illness, heat, not eating | Often head position changes, e.g. rolling in bed or looking up (in BPPV) |
How the vestibular system keeps you balanced
Your sense of balance comes from three sources working together:
- The vestibular system: fluid-filled canals and small sensors in each inner ear that detect head movement and the pull of gravity
- Vision: your eyes tell your brain where you are relative to your surroundings
- Proprioception: sensors in your joints and muscles, especially in your feet, ankles and neck, report body position
Your brain combines these signals. When the inner ear sends faulty or mismatched information, or when the brain has trouble processing it, the result can be vertigo, dizziness, blurred vision with head movement, or unsteadiness.
Common causes of vertigo
Several conditions can cause vertigo. The most common include:
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): brief spinning, usually lasting less than a minute, triggered by changes in head position. It is caused by tiny calcium crystals moving into the wrong part of the inner ear. Read our BPPV guide.
- Vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis: inflammation of the balance nerve or inner ear, often after a viral illness. These typically cause sudden, severe vertigo lasting days, followed by a gradual recovery. Labyrinthitis can also affect hearing.
- Vestibular migraine: episodes of vertigo or dizziness linked with migraine. Not every episode comes with a headache. Read about headaches and dizziness.
- Ménière's disease: episodes of vertigo with hearing changes, ringing (tinnitus) and a feeling of fullness in the ear. It is medically managed, usually by a GP and ENT specialist.
Less commonly, vertigo can come from problems in the brain itself, such as stroke. That's why sudden vertigo with other neurological symptoms needs emergency assessment.
Common causes of non-spinning dizziness
When dizziness doesn't involve spinning, causes can include:
- low blood pressure or standing up too quickly
- dehydration, illness or not eating
- side effects of medication
- heart rhythm or circulation problems
- anxiety or panic
- persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD), a long-lasting non-spinning dizziness often made worse by standing, moving or busy visual environments
- ongoing vestibular problems after an inner-ear episode
Some of these need a doctor's assessment first. A GP can check blood pressure, heart and medications and decide whether further tests are needed.
Why do I feel dizzy when I move my head?
Dizziness or vertigo that is clearly triggered by head movement, such as rolling over in bed, lying down, looking up at a shelf or bending forward, often comes from the vestibular system. BPPV is one of the most common reasons. Ongoing sensitivity after an inner-ear problem is another.
Movement-triggered symptoms can also have other causes, so the pattern alone isn't a diagnosis. An assessment can help work out what's going on.
Where a physiotherapist fits in
Vestibular physiotherapists assess how your inner ear, eyes and balance are working together. Their role is to identify vestibular causes of dizziness and treat them where appropriate, and to recognise when symptoms need medical review instead.
If your dizziness has been checked by your doctor, or your symptoms sound vestibular (spinning with head movement, unsteadiness after an inner-ear illness, dizziness that worsens with movement), a vestibular assessment can help clarify the cause and whether rehabilitation is likely to help.
Key points
- Dizziness is a broad term. Vertigo is a specific spinning or moving sensation.
- Vertigo often involves the vestibular system in the inner ear and brain.
- BPPV, vestibular neuritis, labyrinthitis, vestibular migraine and Ménière's disease are common causes of vertigo.
- Non-spinning dizziness has many possible causes, some of which need a GP's assessment.
- Sudden dizziness with neurological symptoms is an emergency: call 000.
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.
References
- healthdirect.gov.au/vertigo
- healthdirect.gov.au/dizziness
- Tasmanian Health primary care dizziness guidelines (2024)