How To Stop Your Head Spinning When Drunk

Despite alcohol being one of the most accessible drugs in the world, many people are unaware of the risks that come with drinking large quantities of alcohol – in the long-term and the short-term.

Alcohol is one of the most addictive substances on the planet, meaning that individuals who regularly consume alcohol or consume large quantities are at a risk of developing a dependence on the substance, as well as suffering the impacts to their body as a result of this.

When an individual is addicted to alcohol, their body becomes dependent on the substance to go about their daily activities, meaning that the withdrawal process can be life-threatening.

As well as this overarching risk, alcohol also has many short-term effects that can impact an individual’s safety in other ways.

The focus of this blog post is the sensation of a “spinning head” while under the influence of alcohol i.e., ‘being drunk’, the causes of this, as well as some top tips to help control this effect and potentially avoid it in some situations.

Why do people experience a “spinning head” when drunk?

The main reason why individuals experience spinning sensations when consuming alcohol is as a result of impacts to their vestibular system.

This is a system within the inner ear that is associated with balance, spatial awareness and orientation, as well as eye movement.

If this system becomes impaired as a result of alcohol, an individual is far more likely to experience the sensation of a spinning head (dizziness) at the time of consuming alcohol, as well as for a period of time after the individual’s last drink.

More and more in the modern world, attention is being drawn to the dangers of substances on the vestibular system – both in the short-term, as well as some long-lasting or potentially lifelong impairments as a result of a substance use disorder (1).

The effects of alcohol on the vestibular system

As well as alcohol generally affecting the vestibular system, there have been some more specific impacts that are observed.

Some examples of this follow:

Balance – as humans’ sense of balance comes from their inner ear (a relatively small functioning system within the body), any impact to this such as increased movement as a result of intoxication is multiplied and becomes far more exaggerated.
Thinned blood – alcohol thins the blood, also leading to difficulties in detecting balance using the inner ear functioning that relies on a consistent blood thickness and causes mixed signals to be sent to the brain if this is disrupted.

If an individual notices any changes in their balance, feelings of vertigo, trouble walking, or any changes in their eye movement, they should contact a medical professional as soon as they are able to; this could indicate that their vestibular system has been compromised and additional support can be provided.

The effects of alcohol on vision

A lot of most individual’s sense of balance also comes from their ability to see and to fixate on specific points in their field of view.

For example, when we are feeling travel sick, we are often told to focus on one immovable feature in our vision which can often alleviate symptoms of.

When it comes to consuming alcohol and feeling dizzy as a result of this, it may be due to the effect of alcohol on the eye itself.

Studies state that the key impact of alcohol on vision is ‘abnormal eye movement’ and an increased risk of developing a serious ocular disease (2).

The same study found that prenatal exposure to alcohol can also lead to foetal alcohol spectrum disease – a disease that can impact a foetus’s ocular development, often leading to smaller eye openings.

Related to the feelings of dizziness, alcohol can also directly impact the eye’s muscles, making it hard to fixate on a specific point and therefore causing feelings of a “spinning head”.

How long can a “spinning head” last?

Though not directly linked, individuals will generally have an increased feeling of a “spinning head” when alcohol is still directly in their system.

Depending on a number of factors, alcohol can stay in an individual’s body (in a way that affects their dizziness) for 6 to 12 hours or more.

These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

Metabolic rate – how fast the individual’s body digests and breaks down different substances. Older individuals are likely to struggle with a slowing metabolic rate, for example.
Gender – some studies suggest that alcohol stays in women’s body longer as a result of the differing muscle to fat ratio.
Body weight – similar to the point above, a lighter individual will often struggle to remove alcohol from their body due to the ratio of alcohol to their body weight.
Additional medications – many medications do not mix well with alcohol which can impact how long it stays in the body, as well as how quickly it can be metabolised in the liver.

How can an individual stop their head spinning when drunk?

The remainder of this blog post will cover some of the top tips and key pieces of advice for avoiding a spinning head while drunk.

Generally, individuals are reminded that drinking excessive quantities of alcohol can be very dangerous for more than the reasons of a spinning head.

Therefore, the key piece of advice here is to moderate drinking or avoid it completely, as this will avoid the negative impacts of consuming this substance.

However, in other situations, individuals can take a look at the following subheadings for advice on how to counteract a spinning head and potentially avoid this in the future.

1. Drinking water

By consuming lots of water and fluids while consuming alcohol, individuals lower the risk of feeling dizzy due to the counteractive effects of water on alcohol in the body.

In many cases, it is recommended that individuals consume a glass of water for every alcoholic drink that they consume.

Though this is not feasible in every situation and can cause some individuals to consume too much water if they are drinking large quantities of alcohol, it is more effective than solely consuming alcohol when drinking.

Water is the most recommended fluid to consume when drinking alcohol, but some individuals may also benefit from drinking sugar-rich drinks such as juice to counteract the dehydration from alcohol.

2. Eating food

Similar to drinking lots of water while consuming alcohol, it is also recommended to consume food alongside alcohol to help mitigate the impact on the stomach, for example.

This also applies to eating before an individual begins consuming alcohol; having an empty stomach before drinking is also not recommended due to the abrasive effects that alcohol can have on the stomach, as well as disrupting digestion.

Eating before drinking gives the body something to process alongside alcohol, meaning that alcohol is often digested and broken down more slowly in the body if there is food present in the stomach compared to an empty stomach.

3. Sleep it off

In some instances, an individual may recover best from dizziness/spinning head if they simply go to sleep.

Though this is not always the best option for some individuals (especially those who are highly intoxicated), it is always best to combine this option with several of the other pieces of advice, such as drinking lots of fluid and consuming food before resting.

4. Using other senses

In many cases, dizziness or spinning of the head can be counteracted by focusing on the other senses.

As mentioned in this blog post earlier, finding a fixation point can greatly help to alleviate dizziness due to the activation of the individual’s vestibular system and finding a point of reference.

For examples of other senses that can be used, some smells (especially strong herbal or floral) can distract the individual by activating the olfactory system (sense of smell) instead.

5. Control breathing

As a final suggestion, individuals who are struggling with a spinning head while intoxicated should always try to control their breathing and focus their mind.

In many cases, individuals who feel dizzy tend to panic due to their environment or as a result of their mental health. This is why it can be beneficial to take a moment to reset the body and mind.

Often, taking a few deep breaths can be enough to help the individual calm down and perhaps focus on other ways to overcome their dizziness and sensations of spinning. Counting the breath also helps in the same way.

Rehab Recovery and how we can help you or someone you know

Alcohol is a dangerous substance that can impact individuals in more ways than many people are aware of.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a substance use disorder (SUD) or addiction to alcohol, then Rehab Recovery is here to help.

As a specialised addiction referral service, we are able to match individuals to the most suitable recovery programme for them and their needs.

To find out how we can help you or someone you know as soon as today, call our hotline on 0800 088 66 86.

References

[1] Chiao, A., Hughes, M.L., Premkumar, P.K. and Zoucha, K., 2023. The effects of substance misuse on auditory and vestibular function: a systematic review. Ear and hearing, 45(2), p.276.

[2] Karimi, S., Arabi, A. and Shahraki, T., 2021. Alcohol and the Eye. Journal of ophthalmic & vision research, 16(2), p.260.