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Dizziness when eating

Whenever I start to chew the first one or two bites of food, I experience a sense of dizziness.  The room around me doesn't spin, but it kind of feels like I'm spinning inside my head.  It goes away after 2-5 seconds, and usually happens only once during the meal, with the first bite or two.  I can be eating soft or hard foods, doesn't matter.  I can hold my head still or look down at my plate and it doesn't matter.  I don't feel it any other time at all, only when I chew something.  I don't have any other symptoms.  I'm not on any type of medications.  I had a stapedectomy 2 years ago to correct hearing in my right ear.  I just had a balance testing done because I am planning on having a stapedectomy in my left ear now to correct that hearing, and the balance testing came back perfectly normal.  I can't find anything on the web about this, other people that experience it, or what might be causing it.  Any suggestions?

-JAH
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Avatar universal
This has happened to me for a long time.  I have no food allergies or issues or... anything.  But for 15 years (I'm 31) it has happened to me sooo...

Can I add something in as a simple explanation?  

Eating is complex.  Yeah, you chew food and swallow and the next day (usually) it goes in the toilet.  But there is a whole slew of autonomic physiological stuff that goes on.  

Easiest to see is saliva.  As that food hits your mouth take a moment and notice, "am I drooling?"  Can you feel that saliva build up in your mouth?  Saliva is the first part of digestion and I can tell you.  When that food gets in nose range and I can smell that food it really builds up!  I can swallow all that spit easy.  That's normal.  The sight, smell, taste, feel, sound of food all trigger that digestive response.  And in that response things happen:

Salivation
Swallowing
Peristalsis
Secretion of stomach acids
Tummy Rumbles!  =P

Now for your stomach and small intestine to digest correctly it needs blood - a lot of it.  This is why you get tired after eating.  Blood is still down there and not as much in your head feeding your brain.  So what happens if your body just sends a lot of blood to your stomach all at once?

You get DIZZY!  Lightheaded, faint, etc.  If your arterioles open up all around your digestive system then where does all that blood come from?  Remember the circulatory system is essentially a closed loop setup.  Your head is easiest due to gravity but the body can shunt blood around by expanding/contracting the arteries/arterioles.  I tested this once when I was a medic in Iraq.  I was curious so I woke up, ate, drank... went about a normal routine.  But I refrained from drinking anything but coffee and tried to keep my physical activity up.  So I was really hungry!  I took my blood pressure with an autocuff before I ate.  I was at a slightly higher BP due to activity and the caffeine.  Nothing bad, though.  But I tested it again as I was about to eat.

It was twenty points lower systolic and ten lower diastolic.  And I was dizzy!  All the blood had gone to my stomach.

I tried it again a few days later and just by drinking more water it wasn't a problem.   Pressure only dropped 5 points.  and I wasn't dizzy.  Why?  I had more blood circulating in my body so less was shunted from my brain.  Simply physiological response really!

I'm guessing this has happened to everyone at some point.  People like me maybe more than others.  Best practice is to stay hydrated and eat slowly.  If I wolf down food I notice it after 2-3 bites!  So, I take a bite and drink some water.  If slight lightheaded euphoria remains I'll drink 12-20oz of water.  This aids in digestion and I feel better.  

Another final thing to note.  The heavier the food, the worse the response is.  IE the dizzier I get.  Some nuts and fruit nope.  Not really.  But a heavy tuna sandwich (I make my tuna so its thick tasty and loaded!) will knock me on my ***.  I think my body knows what is coming its way automatically through a lifetime of experience.  Example, if you put my in a prime dehydrated and hungry scenario and give me a tuna sammich... I'm done.  If you give me something lighter it might be slight to none.  If you something bad tasting in front of me I wont even salivate.  I consciously/subconsiously know its bad and I wont want it or be hungry.  The digestive response stays turned off.

Finally I'd say drinking water and being hydrated before eating helps keep the symptoms from happening.  If they already are happening sit down and drink more water.  Finally for me if a weird feeling lingers, I will walk and do some pushups.  Gets the heart rate up and the blood flowing.  It helps me out.  YMMV (your mileage may vary).

Just make sure that its this and NOT a serious condition related to diabetes or heart issues or allergies or anything else!

Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
Hi you are not alone I have the exact same symptoms for years and on one occasion passed out in a restaurant recently. Lots of tests ruled out anything neurological advice given to me was eat more salt and avoid dehydration but not much help. I had an irion deficiency some years ago and I think it started then but i have a low pulse rate and slightly low blood pressure with exactly your symptoms.am 62. Ian
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Avatar universal
THANKS! This has been happening to me for years. I figured it had to be something like this. It usually happens when I'm about to eat my favorite treats or am out to dinner and I have a high anticipation for a dish. I eat very healthy and just indulged in strawberry rhubarb pie (one of my favorite things) and as the first bite hit my mouth I got really dizzy. What you wrote makes total sense!
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Avatar universal
OMG...so this has been happening to me for quite a while.  I remember researching this myself because it has concerned me.  I decided to just get back on and "google" dizziness while chewing food/eating because I just got done making a sandwich, took a couple bites...same thing...AGAIN!!  I am not sure whether it has anything to do with the jaw or TMJ or blood sugar, etc. but it is most definitely a very weird dizzy sensation.  I don't even have to swallow the food.  It happens with first few bites and chewing.  I just can't believe there are no docs out there that can help diagnose this strange phenomenon that is apparently more common than we all thought!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have exactly the same thing you experience. I don't think it has to do with food. It could merely be the action of chewing. Once when I yawn i too had that sudden dizziness.

I wondered if it had anything to do with me removing my wisdom teeth.. because that was the start of my problems. One of wisdom tooth was close to my nerves and required me to be under GA. The next day, I experienced my first vertigo and a nose bleed. Thereafter I realised i had experienced dizzy spells when i travel and realised I'm more prone to travel sickness which i never had previously. I had my vertigo checked and the ENT specialist noted that my ear probably had particles loose. I learned how to handle my vertigo which will also trigger if i move my head too quickly to the left or leaned back. But it will be ok when I readjust my position. It usually goes away when i pause the chewing and resume later.

I am nailing it down to possibly the loose particles and the nerves reacting to the "balance" when I move. Not sure if the dentist had used so much force during the extraction of 3 teeth when I'm under GA,that caused the loose particles in my ear.Learning to deal and live with it and certainly hate that I can't resolve it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I too just recently experienced this. I ate a huge dollop of wasabi mustard on some sushi and immediately got dizzy when I finished swallowing it. It lasted approximately 15-20 seconds. I was wondering if there was a way to overdose on wasabi, but found nothing but this blog. The dizziness was very similar to vertigo. 44 year old male.
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Avatar universal
I'm a 46 yr old male and have the same symptoms
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Avatar universal
too feel a bit dizzy or light headed during the start of my meal.

My doctor says it's brought on by the anxiety I am creating in my system regarding the anticipation of food. For me, this makes a ton of sense as I am prone to anxiety in general, explains why it happens at the beginning of the meal and not everytime but more so when I am hungrier and usually in a calm environment.  

I don't really experience any other symptoms than this, so for me this makes sense and perhaps could be what some of you are experiencing.

Thanks.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
41 yr old male. I first experienced dizziness when I was about to eat at a restaurant, when is was 18. It never happened again until recently (last week or so, and not consistently - not every meal). Like the previous posts, it happens just before I am about to eat, while I'm eating, and lasts sometimes up to a few minutes. I do have seasonal allergies, and take Zyrtec or Allegra frequently (those are the only meds I take - however they were not in existence 23 years ago when I was 18, also take Ibuprofen on occasion). I run or exercise three to four times a week. Not a gym rat, but not too overweight. Drink beer a lot..haha, but only good beer. I don't know if any of these connect to whatever it is that's making this condition happen, just wonder if there are any similarities to anyone else.
Helpful - 0
7621033 tn?1392685404
Hi All. Same here as well. I suddenly get dizzy on first bite and it last less than 10 seconds. It's really annoying that I have to freeze myself of chewing and moving to finish the dizziness. No specific food that may have caused. It's already a year now. I'm male, 33, and health is perfect for the last 25 years until today for this sickness. Seems that all who have same symptoms here has no exact answer yet. I'll go to our company doctor for further checking.

By the way, I sometimes noticed that I feel dizzy if I am a bit hungry before my first bite. I believe certain food doesn't matter here since we felt dizzy just right on the chewing part only. I can only sense that at the first chew, we're salivating that causes our senses to rush into our mouth and temporarily affected on this is our brain. Cause of low blood pressure maybe?  I am not a doctor but a tech guy. My finding is just my opinion.
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Avatar universal
A related discussion, dizzy when eating was started.
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Avatar universal
Add me to the list. I just started having this happen about a week ago and was wondering if it was blood pressure related or what. Doesn't happen all the time and lasts a few seconds. Glad to see it's not something unique.
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Avatar universal
Yes! Thank you for sharing! I have similar symptoms and was diagnosed with BPPV (Benign positional vertigo) many years ago.  I have determined that is I should avoid artificial sweeteners, artificial air fresheners, spicy foods, etc.  I also limit alcohol.  It was nice to see that I am not alone.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have been having this problem for sometime, I get light headed and dizzy when I start to eat rice or bread products.  I don't get it when i eat anything else, it's really strange.  It doesn't really happen when i eat pasta, not as bad anyway. But the other day i nearly passed out from eating a slider at a bar.  It's this overwhelming feeling of dizzyness and shortness of breath. My vision gets a little blurry and rather dark.  It's scares me sometimes.  I really wish I knew what the hell was going on.  I have since cut all grain and bread products from my diet.  I also noticed that when i drink even one beer the next day I wake up with sinus congestion and a head ache.  I do have allergies and take a once-a-day every night, but other than that i'm healthy.  Any answers please????

I have been tested for diabetes and i've had an EKG. my BP is usually 90/60, HR 60-65. All within normal limits
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have similar symptoms, its always the first few bites of a meal and it passes quickly. There's no correlation to the food or anything I can pin down, other than it is always when I start eating, and once it has passed it doesn't recurr within that meal. I hardly ever drink so I don't think it is alcohol related.

I wouldn't describe it as dizziness though. To me it is more like feeling feint. The worst occurrence so far was on Christmas day when I sat down for my Christmas dinner, I felt like I was going to black out and I got a buzzing sound in my ears. It was gone within 5 seconds and I was fine. The next time it happened was the following day when I had a bacon sandwich, but not so severe. Hasn't happened since.

I'm 48 and have been having mild symptoms for perhaps a few months.
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Avatar universal
i am having exactly the same thing happening to me and i too have fillings  mine were from the navy years ago
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Avatar universal
hi if your son has any silver filings please get them out thy wont tell you it is the problem but i know it is i suffered for years he will get alot of things wrong with him as he gets older   PLEASE SAVE HIM FROM THAT IF HE HAS SILVER HILINGS GET THEM OUT NOW
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Avatar universal
No diagnosis for me yet either, unfortunately.  Mine still tends to come and go, although not as often as it used to, and as far as I can figure out, nothing in my lifestyle has changed that would affect it either.  Still trying to narrow it down tho....
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Avatar universal
Did you ever get a diagnosis. I have the same issue whenever I eat
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My 13 year old son has had the same problem for months now. We just went and had a glucose test done and everything came out good. He is a healthy active young man. We have not changed anything we do or eat and no stress for him. He says it only happens when he starts to eat. His dr put him on a snack at school mid morning and he says he gets dizzy then but not at lunch now. He still gets dizzy at supper but never in the morning at breakfast. He has no other signs and has been checked out by his dr. We dont know what else to try. Any help would be greatly welcomed.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have the same problem, been suffering from one or two times a month for a few seconds during the past five years.  When I take my first bite I see the room swimming before it settles and nothing more happens for the rest of the meal.  It has over time got more and more frequent plus intense to the point that if I bite into a Sandwich while I drive I take a risk to lose control for a few seconds and with company everybody looks on in concern when I duck my head until I compose myself at the dinner table.  I am out of the UK and because I had massive Asthma attack which lead to my hospitilisation I mentioned the issue to the Dr.  The Belgian Dr has scanned an echographed around my Liver because of all the products it produces as part of the digestion process (this afternoon I have just had a camera sent down to my gall bladder to check for stones but nothing...)  unfortunately other then my bloodwork showing issues they cannot track down the proble,.  I am 36 and male they have suggested that working in Customer Service (stress based) will result in my attraction to high sugar contained foods or coca-cola as part of the brains auto-comfort food drive.  The issue is probably not related to fat foods just the bodies drive for sugar.  To resolve I need to drop 9kg and take up sports that allow me to release stress, such jogging, tennis or squash.  My aim is to do this and see if it makes a difference, after reading so many of the responses I cannot help but think that the McDonalds generations of the 80's and 90's now in their 30's and 40's are going to be showing signs of problems which did not occur before.  Perhaps the numbers suffering from this are greater then this blog would have us think.  If I get a result from all the work my Dr is doing I will post it on here.
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Avatar universal
Has been happening to me know for a couple months,googled it came up with your thread....has anyone found out anything? I am prediabetic,but its only during first couple bites of food..
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Avatar universal
Most of you probably have a vestibular dysfunction that can be worsened by allergies or inflammation. That's what I have and when my sinuses get inflamed, I get dizzy when I chew...especially crunchy things.
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Avatar universal
I ran across this post because I finally decided to see if others have been having this issue. I too have been getting dizzy about 75% of the time when I start to eat anything...doesn't matter what it is. This has been going on for me since I was 16 yrs old, and it continues 34 yrs later. I have brought it up to my doctor one time, but she just blew it off and said she's "never heard of anything like that". Sometime's the dizziness is mild, but other times it is strong and lasts for over a minute. I would love to know what causes it, but so far I have been unable to find a reason.
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