OHIO — The thought of getting shots has caused some people to opt out of the flu or COVID-19 vaccinations.
What You Need To Know
- High levels of fear when getting vaccines point to symptoms of dizziness or lightheadedness
- Not everyone who got the flu shot the first year of the study got the flu shot the following year
- Previous vaccine experiences help explain why people don’t get COVID-!9 vaccines
Ohio State University Assistant Professor, Dr. Jennifer Kowalsky, is a health psychologist who studies health behavior and health promotion with an emphasis on blood donation and vaccination.
She said, over a two-year period, they found,“people who had greater vaccine related fears were less likely to get the flu shot during that first year, which makes sense.”
“But higher fear predicted greater symptoms of feeling dizzy or lightheaded, or looking like faint during and after getting the flu shot,” she said.
Kowalsky explained those symptoms came not from the vaccine itself. Instead, they were a stress response that some people experience before, during, or after vaccinations.
She added when that happens, those symptoms show there is a brief dip in oxygen for the brain, which can increase the risk of injury because of falling. With the COVID-19 vaccine, dizziness or lightheadedness also contributed to people not taking it. That’s besides fear and a person’s previous experience with vaccines, said Kowalsky.
For those who choose to get vaccines, looking for distractions on phones like YouTube or TikTok waiting to get a shot and during one may help address dizziness or lightheadedness, Kowalsky explained.
The World Health Organization recommends applied muscle tension that includes a person sitting down with their legs crossed as they tense the muscles in their lower body and then repeat until the symptoms go away.
