Reference; https://mbp-japan.com/jijico/articles/32422/
Modified and translated by CFJA
Could Dizziness Be a Sign of a Stroke?
Since around 2022, it feels like summer temperatures have been rising each year, but in 2025 the heat seems especially severe. Even in Toronto, there were more than a week of days in July when the temperature exceeded 30°C.
Spending long hours in high temperatures can sometimes cause dizziness. Many people may suddenly feel lightheaded. When that happens, you might wonder:
- Is it low blood pressure (cerebral anemia)?
- Heatstroke?
- Too much accumulated fatigue?
- Lack of sleep?
When dizziness occurs, which specialist would your family doctor refer you to?
Internal medicine? Otolaryngology (ENT)? Ophthalmology? Neurosurgery? Neurology?
Since there are so many possible conditions that can cause dizziness, it is natural to feel uncertain.
When dizziness strikes, the most important thing is rest. Closing your eyes and lying down will usually make you feel better. If the dizziness subsides after a short rest, there is little cause for concern. However, if it recurs frequently, you should see a specialist immediately. It is advisable to first suspect a brain-related disorder and undergo examination by a specialist.
Does Digestive Fatigue Make You More Prone to Dizziness?
Humans judge gravity and their own position based on three types of information: the eyes (vision), the inner ear (vestibular sense), and sensory input from joints, muscles, and the skin (somatosensory system). When a discrepancy arises among these, dizziness occurs.
Therefore, dizziness is more likely to happen when you are suffering from eye strain or physical fatigue.
Many people visit acupuncture clinics seeking relief from “rotational dizziness” (vertigo) associated with Meniere’s disease. From more than 40 years of clinical experience, I have observed that people who experience “lightheadedness” or “rotational dizziness” tend to have reduced function in their digestive organs, particularly the liver and stomach. In other words, people who have digestive disorders or conditions that impair digestive function are more likely to experience dizziness.
Factors in daily life that can trigger digestive fatigue include:
- Irregular meal times
- Overeating
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Eating after 10 p.m.
- Lack of sleep (less than 6 hours)
When temperatures remain above 30°C, people tend to consume more cold food and drinks to prevent heatstroke. However, cooling the stomach and intestines too much also leads to impaired digestive function. Those who are more prone to dizziness should first reconsider these basic lifestyle habits.
Abnormalities in the somatosensory system can also trigger dizziness. Large fluctuations in temperature cause the liver, which regulates body temperature, to fatigue more easily. Spending long hours in an air-conditioned environment makes the liver more prone to functional decline. For this reason, an air-conditioner setting of 28°C is recommended. Below 27°C, the body has to expend more energy to maintain temperature, which accelerates internal organ fatigue.
During the day, because you are active and generating heat through your muscles, many people may not feel unwell even at settings around 23°C. However, when the temperature falls below 22°C, it seems common to begin experiencing vague complaints. Temperature settings at night are especially important. Many people cool their bedrooms to around 28°C for 1–2 hours before bedtime, which is considered a desirable lifestyle practice.
Some people set a timer so that the air-conditioner runs for about an hour after they fall asleep, or leave the bedroom door open and use an air-conditioner in a distant room. This lifestyle does not usually cause significant problems. However, those who keep the air-conditioner on continuously throughout the night experience lowered body temperature. Constant inflow of cool air through the nose forces the internal organs to keep generating heat (to raise body temperature). When the lungs and digestive organs are overworked in this way, it can lead to waking up in the middle of the night.
In the morning, this can cause waking up without feeling refreshed, persistent fatigue, or a sense that tiredness has not lifted — all of which contribute to further liver function decline. From what I hear from patients, people who constantly use air-conditioning at temperatures below 28°C tend to develop some form of vague complaint. Dizziness can be considered one of these.