Dizziness is a sensation of light-headedness or feeling faint
Call or Return If
After 2 hours of rest and fluids, still feels dizzy
Your child passes out (faints)
You think your child needs to be seen
Your child becomes worse
About This Topic
Symptoms
Feeling dizzy or light headed
Feeling unsteady with slight loss of balance
Feeling "woozy" or the not thinking clearly
May also have brief blurring of vision
Cause
Dizziness is usually due to reduced blood flow to the brain. Mild dehydration is a common cause of dizziness. This means that the body has lost too much fluid. Common causes of this are:
Not drinking enough fluids.
Too much sun or working in the heat. Reason: increased sweating.
Sports or hard work. Reason: Causes sweating and fluid loss.
Dizziness Scale
Mild:
walks normal
Moderate:
interferes with normal activities such as playing, school or sports
Severe:
can't stand, needs support to walk, feels like passing out now
After Care Advice
Overview:
Not drinking enough fluids and being a little dehydrated probably caused the dizziness.
It should go away with drinking fluids and resting in a cool place.
This is always made worse during hot weather. Too much sun exposure can also increase the body's need for fluid.
Here is some care advice that should help.
Fluids:
Drink several glasses of fruit juice, other clear fluids or water.
This will improve your child's fluid status and blood sugar.
If the weather is hot, make sure the fluids are cold.
Cool Off:
If the weather is hot, use a cold pack or washcloth to the forehead.
Taking a cool shower or bath will help even more.
Rest:
Lie down with feet up for 1 hour.
Reason: This will increase blood flow to the brain.
Prevention:
Extra water and salty foods during sports or hot weather
Regular mealtimes and snacks
Enough sleep and rest
What to Expect:
With treatment, the dizziness usually goes away in 1 to 2 hours.
