Vertigo: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, and Natural Approaches

Distinct from dizziness, vertigo is the sensation of movement or spinning despite nothing moving. It affects up to 10 percent of people at least once.

Vertigo is the sensation of moving even though things are still. Illustration by Fei Meng

Vertigo is a form of dizziness in which a person feels like they are moving even though everything is still. People often feel like they, their surroundings, or both are spinning.

Dizziness is a broader term that, in addition to vertigo, includes lightheadedness (feeling woozy), disequilibrium (a sense of imbalance or instability), and presyncope (a feeling of impending faintness).