Dizziness and the older student

[Guest sally-mandy]

What do any of you know about what happens to a body's capacity to deal with dizziness as we get older. I cannot go through more than about 4-5 turns without really feeling it in my stomach, sometimes even needing to sit out on a combination while my body adjusts. I did not have this problem in my youth. It's not just dancing...it's anything (like riding on a carousel with a child) that throws me into this.

 

Besides the obvious being careful about spotting, is there anything to do about this problem? Thanks!

[Mel Johnson]

OK, since it's not just dancing, but even a carousel that can set up this feeling, I'd say it was somehow connected to the balance centers in the ears and brain. If I were you, I'd check with my doctor to see if there were any trace of infection or related condition which affects how you perceive balance.

[gogators]

As an adult in my 40's, I've experienced the same problem whenever I took an adult open ballet class -- I would get dizzy after 2 or 3 turns and sometimes get temporarily nauseous for a few seconds. And I also get dizzy from just going on the swings on the playground when playing with my kids! (when they were younger) But I've been assured that this is normal for many people as they get older.

[Guest sally-mandy]

thank you, Mr. Johnson.

[jimpickles]

I'd say (OK, I'm a neuroscientist, and I work on hearing and ageing) that its probably due to getting old. The reserve capacity of the nervous system decreases as you get older. So when you try new things, you come up to your limit much faster. But does that means you shouldnt try? ABSOLUTELY NOT! You just have to try harder. If you give up as soon as something gets uncomfortable, that is a recipe for rapid decline! You do the opposite! The brain (and it is a brain problem most likely) is good at adapting to the demands put on it (it learns, in other words). If you dont put any demands on it, it adapts - by declining faster. You just have to work much harder than a young person to get to the same place. But this is a way of keeping the nervous system adapting and healthy. "Use it or lose it" applies especially to brains! So keep trying, in spite of the dizziness. Take it slowly, gently, but persistently. And you will get better. A lot.

 

And dancing is one of the best anti-ageing activities around - exercise, stamina, balance, coordination, rapid thinking, precise timing (i.e the brain needs to act fast and exactly at the right time, not just at any old time), learning new patterns.

 

But if you get dizzy in the things in normal life (e.g. walking around, not just carousels), you need to get it checked out.

 

Jim.

Edited December 9, 2005 by jimpickles

[Mel Johnson]

Jim is right. Many people find that they have a changed perception of balance as they grow older. But if you keep dancing, and the semicircular canals in the ear are in good shape, you can retrain your brain to keep you on an even keel, literally.

[2 Left Feet]

Dizziness comes from a lot of sources, not just the ears. I have food sensitivities, so if I eat anything with corn by-products in it I can suffer dizziness for days at a time. So it could be as simple as the foods you eat.

 

Sometimes, when trying to avoid offending foods, I don't eat enough. Usually this shows up the next day. I try to do turns in class and find even one turn is enough to make me want to fall over.

 

There's also your general, overall health. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating enough before class, or should you be snacking on something during class? In longer classes, I have to eat some raisins or something to keep my energy up. When my energy dips, the first sign for me is light-headedness or dizziness.

[Mel Johnson]

Also very good points, equally true!

[spinbug]

Also, sinusitis can wreak havoc on a person's sense of balance. Having had several major sinus infections myself, I've experienced firsthand how they can really make you dizzy. But, a doctor would probably check that out, especially if you mention any facial pain. Good luck! And don't give up.

[Guest sally-mandy]

Yeehaw! This is great news. I'm so encouraged...because I love to turn, and even though I crashed into the piano doing piques on my very first re-beginner class, I'm beyond that now...both mentally and technically!

 

I had not thought of the food issue. I don't believe that's my problem, as I only experience the dizziness when I'm turning. I generally have good balance when I'm standing in one place. I will think about the food, though, and it's possibly related to a medication.

 

Thanks!

[MJ]

I would find an inner ear or balance specialist, anyone else is a waste of time.

 

MJ

[BelaNina]

My audiologist friend (also a university professor of audiology) told me, when I asked her why I can no longer ride on certain rides at the amusement park without feeling like , that the fluid in the inner ears thickens as we age, and as the fluid flows less freely through the semi-circular canals in the inner ears, which are a key part of our balance system, we now recover - right ourselves- much more slowly. The degree of thickening varies among individuals, of course. And, there's not a thing that can be done about it! It's just a natural part of aging.

 

I used to be able to ride on roller coasters, every kind of spinning ride imaginable, and spot turn rapidly with ease. I can do none of these things now, at 44, because of the dizziness.

[Redbookish]

So this explains why after a very fast set of piqué, chainé and emboité turns on the diagonal (around 16 turns in all), to a very fast "Christmas Conga" in class last week, our teacher said we looked like a drunken girls' night out (a very Birmingham thing). We were literally using the studio wall to keep us upright walking back to the corner to go again!

[Garyecht]

Sally-mandy’s crash into the piano reminded me of my “best” crash. I was in my garage doing my usual exercise/dance/whatever. Since I like turning, I bop around and do all kinds of pirouettes in between exercises. I have a favorite spot, about 3 or so feet in front of the garage door and on this day I was doing just the usual for me.

 

Well, I sort of fell off this one pirouette badly, reached out and for whatever reason, stupid as it was, grabbed something. What I grabbed turned out to be a sharp metal edge on the garage door. Big mistake. 4 stitches. That was 5-6 years ago, but it hasn’t stopped me from doing the same pirouettes in exactly the same place several times a week.

[Guest sally-mandy]

Hmm. Jimpickles, what do think about the info we got from LauraGG? Does that conflict with what you told us above or is this ear fluid thickening business something our neurological systems can adjust to?

 

thanks!