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Vertigo is a sensation that either you or your surroundings, or both, are spinning or moving when they are not. Some people confuse vertigo with dizziness, but there is a difference, explains Neil Shepard, Ph.D., an audiologist at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

"Dizziness typically is a feeling of being lightheaded, or it may be a loss of balance that makes you unsteady on your feet. Dizziness usually does not involve the feeling that either you or something in your environment is moving," Shepard says.

"Experiencing vertigo can be very unnerving, especially if you've never had it before," Shepard adds.

A number of disorders can trigger vertigo. The most common is a condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. If you have BPPV once, you are at an increased risk of getting it again. In many cases, BPPV can be successfully treated.

For many adults, BPPV is the underlying source of vertigo. With BPPV, vertigo happens when you move a certain way. Sitting up, tilting your head or lying down may all trigger vertigo if you have BPPV.

"BPPV is a result of tiny crystals in your inner ear being out of place. The crystals make you sensitive to gravity and help you to keep your balance," Shepard says. "Normally, a jellylike membrane in your ear keeps the crystals where they belong.

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