Vertigo is two to three times more common in women than men

20% of patients with migraines may also experience vertigo

Vestibular migraine is a common cause of vertigo, affecting approximately 20% of patients with migraine. It's the most common cause of recurrent, sudden-onset vertigo.

Vertigo is considered a subtype of dizziness

This two-minute video explains vertigo—a subtype of dizziness—and its many potential causes. It explores the vestibular system, the inner ear system, which typically governs our sense of stability, and details its anatomy.

Pets can experience vertigo, particularly older dogs

This type of dizziness is often caused by disorders of the vestibular system, and in dogs is often referred to as "old dog vestibular disease" because it tends to occur in older animals. The condition tends to resolve on its own in days or weeks. Vertigo is less common among cats than dogs, and in felines is typically caused by inner ear infections or other causes including a tumor.

Vertigo can last for minutes—or months—and may occur periodically

Vertigo can be caused by a variety of conditions, including as a side effect of medication, but if it comes on suddenly and is accompanied by other symptoms including difficulty with speech or weakness on one side of the body it's important to go to the emergency room to get checked for a stroke. For recurring vertigo, care teams can teach patients exercises to limit panic, lessen nausea and teach the brain to better tolerate head movements.

Peripheral vertigo is a type of dizziness caused by disturbances the inner ear

This type of vertigo can be triggered by several factors including viruses that cause inflammation in the inner ear, Ménière's disease, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which can cause irregular nerve impulses that cause dizziness.

Dizziness may describe lightheadedness and imbalance, not the spinning of vertigo

Dizziness is defined as an altered sense of spatial orientation, and may include feeling like you might fall over. Vertigo is associated with feeling like you are spinning or your surroundings are spinning.

Vertigo is a mismatch of information between the eyes and the ears

Both vertigo and motion sickness can be caused by mismatches between visual and auditory inputs.The brain relies on inputs from the eyes, inner ear, and receptors in muscles and joints to orient the body. When the eyes suggest movement but other signals suggest the body is stationary dizziness and nausea can occur.

The word 'vertigo' derives from the Latin 'vertere,' meaning to turn

Beyond the word's origin, this article makes clear that fuzzy definitions of the disorder make it confusing for patients to describe it.

Why dizziness is still a mystery

Dizzy spells can completely upend the lives of those suddenly struggling to find their footing. Despite this severe impact, the different flavors of dizziness and their sources continue to elude medical understanding. This article follows a health...

Eating too much salt can worsen vertigo

High salt intake can cause fluid retention in the inner ear, worsening vertigo. Slashing sodium amounts (and caffeine and alcohol consumption) are particularly recommended for those suffering from Ménière's disease to help stabilize inner ear fluid levels.

Women are four times as likely to be diagnosed with seasonal depression

This prevalence trend mirrors the broader incidence of depression among women and is well-documented. Researchers suggest the disparity stems from differences in hormones, social role expectations, coping mechanisms, and more. Men may also present with depression differently, and seek help less.

1 in 15 adults over age 40 experience phantom odors

This phenomenon was measured in a 2018 study that examined the prevalence and risk factors for phantom odor perception. Older adults were less likely to experience these phantom odors as they age, just as their overall sense of smell declines. Women are more likely than men to perceive phantom odors.

Women experience heightened bone loss after menopause

Both women and men begin to lose some bone density after age 35, on average, but for the first decade after menopause women lose bone more rapidly due to the significantly decreased levels of estrogen, putting women at heightened risk of osteoporosis and related bone fractures.

Marriages are more at risk when the woman is sick

A study tracking 25,000 copies over 18 years revealed marriages tend to end in divorce more often when the woman is sick. Conversely, men's health issues do not impact divorce rates. Researchers noted that increased depression, potentially as a result of financial dependence, contributes to the disparity. Generally, most marriages do not end when a spouse becomes sick.

Women tend to tip more often than men

For instance, among people who visit hair salons or barber shops, 62% of female respondents said they always tipped. Only 45% of men said the same. This article includes more takeaways and stats about how Americans tip, and who receives them.

Why young women experience the most workplace ageism

While one might assume that older women face the most unfair treatment due to age in the workplace, some research from McKinsey & Co. suggests otherwise. The consulting firm found that while ageism impacts older women and men at similar rates, women in their 20s and 30s report much higher instances of ageism than both older women and their young, male colleagues. Learn more from the research here.

Headache disorders have historically been neglected and under-researched

Confusion between the variety of headaches—from mild discomfort to debilitating pain—and gender bias—migraines primarily affect women—have led to widespread misunderstandings of the medical issue. Medical students in the US may get as little as 30 minutes of instruction on the three major types: migraines, cluster headaches, and tension-type headaches.

Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia and risks rise after age 65

Read this primer about Alzheimer's disease and learn what factors increase the risk of this form of dementia, including genetics, being a woman, and health conditions, including high blood pressure.

Why women are underrepresented in VC

Only about 11% of investing partners at venture capital firms are women, according to Harvard Kennedy School research. What’s more, only about 13% of VC dollars go to startups with a woman on the founding team. To learn more about why women are so often sidelined on both sides of the venture capital equation, click here.

Bipolar disorder, which is characterized by extreme mood swings, affects nearly 3% of the US population

There are two types of this disorder. Bipolar 1 features a significant manic episode—abnormally elevated mood and frantic energy—followed by repeated depression, while Bipolar 2 vacillates between depressive episodes and hypomania, a milder form of mania, but not a full mania. Listen to this podcast as experts explain the condition.

Musicians are 57% more likely to have tinnitus compared to the general public

Musicians have four times the risk of developing hearing loss, and their risk of developing tinnitus is increased by more than half.

Animal phobias are likely the most common type of phobias, followed by an extreme fear of heights.

The HPV vaccine reduces cervical cancer rates by 90% or more

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally. Almost all cases (99%) are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses. However, cervical cancer is both treatable and preventable—and we may be able to prevent most cases through vaccination.

About 10%-15% of people experience chronic insomnia

How often would you say you struggle to stay or fall asleep? If it's more than three times per week (and has been going on for at least one month), then you might have one of the most common sleep disorders: insomnia.

Eleven deaf men played a pivotal role in America's human spaceflight program

In the mid-20th century, 11 deaf men volunteered for a series of experiments that offered unprecedented insights into the effects of weightlessness on the human body. Most of the men had become deaf in early childhood as a result of spinal meningitis, a condition known to damage the vestibular system and make them less susceptible to motion sickness. For a decade, these men participated in extreme motion sickness situations, including living in a slowly spinning room, spending time in centrifuge pods designed to simulate hypergravity, and flying in parabolic flights sometimes referred to as the "Vomit Comet." (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Visualizing obesity rates across the US

Nearly 70% of adults in the US are either overweight or obese, rates that have tripled over the last 60 years. Severe cases have risen tenfold during this period. Factors like location, income level, and demographics contribute to various obesity levels across the US. Visualize the statistics with this article and chart series.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

Fireworks-related ER visits are on the rise—in 2024, they increased by 52% as compared to the prior year.

Explore chaos in this simulation of two double pendulums, where small differences in the release angles produce wildly different outcomes.

Venture capital is a form of funding provided to early-stage companies with high growth potential, typically in exchange for an equity (or ownership) stake

Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains extremely rare, so the 2026 hantavirus cruise ship outbreak doesn't mean we're facing a COVID-style pandemic risk.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

Stars appear to twinkle because turbulence in the motion of molecules in Earth's atmosphere causes light to bend and wiggle rapidly on its way to the surface—a phenomenon called scintillation.

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by more than 1.5 million Muslims each year.

The US dollar is the most widely circulated currency in the world, and is involved in nearly 90% of global transactions

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II in terms of casualties, forces mobilized, and displacement of civilians.

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

'Saturday Night Fever,' the 1977 film that introduced disco to the mainstream, was based on a fabricated magazine story.

Most of the observable universe's volume consists of voids and supervoids—enormous regions of space with little to no galaxies, stars, or light.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

Waves off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal, can reach over 100 feet and are caused by the area's deep underwater canyon geography

In 1945, Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and legendary animator Walt Disney began collaborating on a short film that was not completed until 2003, years after both men had died.