Feeling Dizzy From the Flu? Here’s What You Should Know

Despite your best prevention efforts — including an annual flu shot — sometimes the flu still finds you.

The influenza virus is contagious and can cause symptoms that send you straight to your bed, like fever, chills, sneezing, muscle aches, fatigue and sometimes dizziness, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While common colds can make you dizzy, here's why flu dizziness is also a concern, and how to treat dizziness from the flu.

"The main cause of flu dizziness is dehydration," says Ian McKeag, MD, a family medicine physician at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Some people have vomiting and diarrhea with the flu, which can cause a lot of fluid loss. And, if you're vomiting from the flu, you're likely not eating or drinking a lot of fluids to replace what was lost," he adds.

Fever, another common flu symptom, can also contribute to fluid loss and dehydration. People who have a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher lose fluid through their skin and breathe at a much higher rate than people who are healthy, which can be dehydrating, Dr. McKeag says.

When your body gets dehydrated from the flu, this can lead to a drop in blood pressure when sitting up or standing, also known as orthostatic hypotension.

"This means that people lose the ability to cope with gravitational differences, or the change from a lying down or seated position to a standing position," Dr. McKeag says. "If dehydration progresses even further, dizziness can happen even without any positional changes."

Other influenza complications, like pneumonia, a sinus infection or an ear infection, can also contribute to dizziness, says David Cutler, MD, a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

That's why it's important for doctors determine the cause of dizziness and fix it, especially if it's an associated infection, he adds.

Apart from dizziness, there are other flu symptoms to keep an eye out for. These include the following, per the CDC:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Muscle/body aches
• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting (mostly in children)

If you woke up dizzy with a sore throat, or you feel chills and dizziness without a fever, you may have something other than the flu — like the common cold.

Although dizziness and other complications from the flu can happen to anyone, some people are more vulnerable than others.

According to the Mayo Clinic, this can include:

• Young children
• Older adults
• People who are pregnant
• People with weakened immune systems
• People with chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart disease

People who have the flu but take certain medications for other health issues may also feel dizziness, Dr. McKeag says. For example, some blood pressure medications, especially diuretics, can lead to dizziness when taken by someone who also has the flu.

The reason? "Certain blood pressure medications actively pull water out of the body," Dr. McKeag says. "Any medication that is a diuretic — something that's making you urinate extra fluid — can lead to dehydration quickly, which can cause feelings of dizziness."

Taking some types of antihistamines or anti-allergy medications for seasonal allergies may also cause you to feel dizzy when you also have the flu, Dr. McKeag says. This can happen especially if sedation or drowsiness is listed as a side effect.

Thankfully, dizziness from the flu is often temporary and harmless, especially if you've already seen a doctor and you've been diagnosed with the flu, Dr. McKeag says. But, he says, it can be a cause for concern in other cases.

"If your dizziness is something that hasn't been checked out by a doctor yet, or if it's lasting longer than 10 to 15 seconds at a time, I think that definitely warrants a trip to the doctor that day, especially for children, older adults or any other people who are prone to complications from the flu," Dr. McKeag says.

Once you've been to the doctor, you can try these other home remedies to get rid of dizziness from the flu:

• ‌Stay hydrated:‌ Aim to get 11.5 and 15.5 cups of water per day, through drinking or water-rich foods, per the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. This could mean just taking small sips of water throughout the day, or drinking hot cups of tea to soothe your throat.
• ‌Take pain relievers/fever reducers‌ like acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin, per Dr. Cutler.
• ‌Try using cold compresses and‌ fans, especially if you're warm from your fever, per Dr. Cutler.
• ‌Take it easy:‌ Move slowly and lie down as much as possible, to avoid a fall from dizziness, per the Brain and Spine Foundation.
• ‌Get plenty of sleep‌ to help you recover and strengthen your immune system, per the CDC.

Keep in mind: "If you still have a high fever despite these measures, then medical treatment must be sought to reduce a dangerous temperature elevation," Dr. Cutler adds. At that point, your doctor may also prescribe an antiviral medication to help your body fight off the virus, per the CDC.

If you're unsure whether what you're feeling is normal, it's best to call your doctor with any concerns related to flu dizziness.

When it comes to the flu, the best remedy is often just riding out the virus while managing symptoms.

But if you've already been diagnosed with the flu and continue to have a fever, chills or dizziness after two weeks, call your doctor back. You may have developed a secondary complication from the flu — like an infection that needs antibiotic treatment.

Your doctor can figure out what's going on and get you on the path to feeling better.