Vertigo is a symptom, rather than a condition in itself, and it is the feeling that you or the environment around you is moving or spinning. Vertigo can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sweating, and other symptoms. The most common causes of vertigo are inner ear problems, which affect balance, and some of the most common causes include:

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): This occurs when tiny calcium carbonate crystals in the inner ear are dislodged from their normal location and collect in the inner ear. BPPV can occur for no known reason and may be associated with age. It can cause short, intense, recurrent attacks of vertigo, usually lasting a few seconds to a few minutes. It is often accompanied by nausea, although vomiting is rare.

• Labyrinthitis: This is an inner ear infection caused by a cold or flu virus. Vertigo caused by labyrinthitis may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, hearing loss, tinnitus, and sometimes a high temperature and ear pain.

• Vestibular neuritis: This is inflammation of the vestibular nerve, which connects the inner ear to the brain. In some cases, the labyrinth itself can also be inflamed. Vestibular neuritis can cause severe vertigo, which is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

• Ménières disease: This is a rare inner ear condition that can cause vertigo, as well as hearing loss, tinnitus, and aural fullness (a feeling of pressure in your ear). If you have Ménières disease, you may experience sudden attacks of vertigo that last for hours or days. The attacks often cause nausea and vomiting.

• Migraine: Migraine headaches can cause vertigo, and treating your migraine should relieve your vertigo if its caused by a migraine.

If you have severe or frequent episodes of vertigo, its important to call your healthcare provider. There could be an underlying health condition causing your symptoms. Call 911 (or your local emergency services number) or go to the nearest emergency room if you develop vertigo alongside double vision or loss of vision, hearing loss, trouble speaking, leg or arm weakness, numbness, or tingling.