Dizziness when eating

[jah1]

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

[tvjv06]

Me too, its amazing, I have had every test under the sun ran and nada. Tell me I have crystals laying on my lil hairs in my ears and that when I move (I don't have to be moving at all for the dizzy spell to happen) that they are falling between the hairs and making me dizzy. I have the exact same symptoms as everyone else here. It nice to know I'm not crazy and that others have experienced this.

[Gregthehump]

Add my name to the ever growing list! Experiencing my second bout of this, last time was about 4 years ago, lasted for about 4 months, then went. Checked out this blog because it came back last week. Damn, thought it was gone for good! Glad I'm not alone cause its a very weird sensation but because it comes and goes so quick you don't worry about it too much!

[GrimmLynne]

I'm a 39 year old female and I've had this same problem for over 10 years now.

I get VERY dizzy when I eat about 70%+ of the time.  It only happens as I put the first bite of food in my mouth.  As soon as I start to chew, the dizziness sets in and I feel like I'm the verge of fainting for about 5-7 seconds and then it is gone and does not recur for the duration of THAT meal, but may happen again at the start of the NEXT meal.  It does not seem to matter what I am eating, what time of day it is, or how I feel (whether I'm tired, stressed, or not)

It does seem to happen the instant the sensation of taste triggers salivation.   (If that makes sense.)

It's a very surreal and weird feeling.  I've never heard anyone I've ever known say that it happens to them, so I assumed it was only me until I found this blog.  I am amazed at the number of people who experience this strange phenomenon.  I was actually sitting here at my computer and it happened as I began to eat, so I decided to google "dizziness when eating first bite of food" and found this site.
I've never mentioned it to a doctor because 1) tests are expensive and I'm sure they would be confused and want to run several of them.  And 2)  It's really a minor nuisance since it's over so quickly.

[Mean_Jean]

I am a 53 year old woman about 20 pounds overweight and I have noticed this phenomenon for about a year now. It only happens at the beginning of taking the first bite or two of food. A crazy dizziness. I am very busy and sometimes when very hungry will go through a drivethru to grab a quick bite. If I am driving when this occurs (which usually happens when I am really hungry) I am overly cautious. Though I have not passed out from it yet I have felt really close to it at times. It does not do it all the time. I am on no medications what so ever and in good health. I wonder what causes it but I am not extremely worried about it. I had extreme/chronic LOW blood sugar levels in my early to late 20's. My blood sugar levels never went over 70 and usually hovered around the low 60's. I felt brain dead most of the time. Thank goodness that ended in my 30's but my blood sugar seems to be normal now. Around 90 upon waking before eating or drinking anything. I do have unusual thirst at night. I was told that is a sign of diabetes but I don't have diabetes. Does anyone have excessive thirst?

[canaryinthemine]

I found out just today that my dizzy spells (no vertigo) seem to be caused by traces of air freshener in the room.  Today, I had a reaction 20 min. after using Febrese.  I have had 15 sec. near blackout spells also from baking bread - when I start the yeast or even open the package of yeast, or knead the dough.  What food producers don't tell us about are the massive amounts of chemicals they now use to create these foods with long shelf lives, or for that matter, the herbicides and pesticides applied to the plants.  For instance, imidicloprid, a powerful pesticide is sprayed on all the U.S. grown corn before planting.  Harvard Univ. has conclusive evidence that imidicloprid is causing bee colony collapse disorder, killing off all the bees. That means that all animals we eat that eat corn may be affected as well. Our bodies are all struggling to adapt to these changes, but they are happening too rapidly for our immune systems to accommodate, in my opinion.  I had 5 difficult spells today, am age 70 and have had these problems for years.  I am the original canary in the mine.

[kbcowens]

Okay, so I am giggling in my head a little.  This has been happening to me for 18 years that I can remember, because I remember this scaring the crap out of me sitting in the lunch cafeteria at school. I've been out of school for 18 years now.  It just happened again & I just happened to be sitting in front of computer and decided to google it.  I have chalked it up all of these years to the fact that it seems like I quit breathing to take a bite, therefore I get dizzy.  It seems to only happen when I actually am eating a meal.  I eat crackers at times for breakfast and do not get the feeling.  Maybe it is something about the anticipation of that first bite!  Today I was not overly hungry? Not sure, but it hasn't killed me yet! :)