constantly off balance or floating feeling

Yes, I have trouble with the dizzy/floating sensations too.  It is a pretty awful feeling...so out of control! 

I think that it could be caused by a lot of things, or a combination of a couple of them...

Anxiety and improper breathing could be the culprit for sure.  When tense, it is easy to hyperventililate which leads to being dizzy.  (the chemistry of your blood is actually off, due to a bad balance of oxygen and Co2, causing all kinds of symptoms)

Vertigo can also be a cause of dizzyness.  Anxiety does not directly cause vertigo...but if you already have it (common) then stress can make it worse. (positional vertigo happens when you are laying down!  So if that is what you mean by certain positions, look up BPPV.)

Sinus, ear, and alignment problems can all be causes, and should be ruled out by the doctor.

There are a lot of causes, almost all of them benign, as you can see.  You should make all attempts to find what is causing yours, but if one can't be found, it is probably the anxiety.

Use your breathing techniques twice a day, everyday, and see if that makes a difference:)

Take care, and try not to worry about it (I'll try and do the same!)

S.C.

Hi --

 

Thank you for your replies. To be honest sometimes I feel like I get the feeling even when I'm not anxious. Although I truly am thinking about my health (I have severe health anxiety) 24/7. The "floating" sensation or "tilting/sinking" sensation occurs when my neck / arms are tensing up my neck. I have seen several doctors including a dizzy specialist who said I have BPPV but it doesn't happen when I'm laying down. In fact, laying down makes it go away. It is severe when I am standing or sitting with good posture. I have to bend over or lean against something or shrug my shoulders to make it go away. I have had brain MRI's / blood work / etc which were normal. I haven't had a scan of my neck but I have been diagnosed with anxiety.

Thanks Fox ... Benadryl affects my heart :(

Hey fox! It makes my heart race and skip beats

Yup, my doctor confirmed that Benadryl can cause the heart palpitations. Anyways I am still having issues with this "tilting sensation" especially when my body / back / arms are in a certain position, laying down helps and makes it go away. Standing straight with a good posture makes it worse and even when I am sitting and say for example I twist in the chair - either twisting to the left or right or even bending slightly forward makes this sensation worse........I don't know that anxiety works like this because it has to do with the positions I am in. But I will say that I am constantly (and have been for 5 years) tense, so much so that my neck is I think permanently damaged from the chronic tension.

Hey Neurogurl! I just came across this forum after googling the floating sensation! I have really bad health anxiety!! When I say bad it's more like horrible! I have been a hypercondriach for as long as I can remember!! A few years ago I went through the same symptoms for a long time and I'm not even sure now how they finally went away! But they are back and I've noticed they are back at the same time that I have been experiencing the really bad anxiety problems again!! Are your symptoms any better? I have to say that I was happy to see that I'm not the only one who experiences this! When I try to explain it to others they don't understand what I mean!

Wow I could have written your post about being constantly off balance.  I first started having severe neck pain after hurting my neck back in 2002.  After Physical therapy and cortisone injections near the neck I felt 100% better.  I noticed though that I had the tendency to tense my neck a lot after that and it was not easy to relax my neck, which in turned caused a lot of headaches.  Well after that in 2005 I went through an emotional trauma that led to constantly stressing and tensing and eventually in 2006 I had my first panic attack.  Since that time I have been kind of on a roller coaster where at times I feel ok and then other times feel like a mess including some agoraphobia.  Most recently I have been feeling that spacey off balance feeling that you described and very tense in my neck.  I do have a thyroid condition ( an inflammation of the thyroid) it is not hypo or hyper , however my thyroid antibodies are off the charts at greater than 3000 and the normal should not be greater than 20.  I think somehow some of the symptoms I feel are related , the Dr says the endocrine system can cause so many problems.  I am not on any meds but I am considering trying xanax for those horrible days.  You might want to ask the Dr to check your Thyroid antibodies... Not the T4, T3 as those are normal on my Thyroid test.  This is a daily struggle between the Thyroid and the anxiety, hang in there!I hope you are feeling better.  Good luck

I have had this many times in my life from ever since i can remember, i note each time it has started i have either been away from home (stress full) or i am in a stress full situation, every time i have had it, it lasts for many months, i have had it about 8 times in my life, today im 41 years old, i have had it for almost 3 months this time, it drives me insane, i have trouble sleeping, i cant drive its way to dangerous, right now im on the computer and im floating, if i lay on my belly its worse, i lay on my back and each night i wait to full asleep with my limbs and body always feeling as though they are moving but they are not, i hate it, one thing i will add is while i was on aropax for 10 years i never got it !

Hi tiffk and welcome.:)

I am sorry to hear of your troubling symptoms. Do you feel like they could at all be tied into anxiety issues? Have you had anxiety issues in the past?

I simply ask to stay on topic in the forum here, since you mentioned other reasons that might be the cause of your dizziness...but we could only really be able to help you in regards to anxiety/panic.

Your doctor would be the best source of information if you think that it is a result of inner ear issues or your neck alignment

I hope that you find the answers that you seek soon, and start to feel better!

Scaredy Cat

Okay, sorry, I missed the part about taking Paxil somehow;p

So, when we are experiencing dizzyness as an anxiety symptom, managing the anxiety is of importance of course...and doing breathing exercises is one of the most powerful tools actually!

It works in two ways. One, just the act of breathing deep, and slowing down/concentrating on relaxing works to lower stress levels. Two, getting the proper PH in our blood by reversing the hyperventilation that anxiety can cause a person to unconsciously do, helps to relieve the physical symptom.

In our Resources (main page, 1st post) you will find video link instructions to these types of exercises and more stress reducing self-help tips.

Give them a try and see how you feel. Keep posting with us as well if you find it helpful.:) We are here to understand and support.

S.C.

Just an update i have been taking Prozac or lovan here in Australia, this floating feeling has somewhat slowed a bit i have been on the Prozac for 25 days now, normally i could not even use my computer that's how bad i felt from the vertigo and floating sensation

I have just seen this thread and it is refreshing to know other people are suffering the same symptoms as I am.  I googled feeling like I am floating when I am walking and came across this thread. 

I spend up to 6 hours a day walking and thought it might be due to walking this much, but I also suffer from anxiety and stress and now after reading your threads think this is the cause.

thank you all for shedding some light on what might be happening to me.