What is vertigo? Do you have it? Well, if you experienced weird, unexplained change in your eyesight and ringing in your ears. In the same time you couldn`t manage your balance and on the other hand everything whirls and spins.
That might be vertigo. Vertigo is a symptom that comes from different types of balance disorders. The cause is the changes that are abnormal in your inner ears.
You or someone you know for sure had this experience. However, bear in mind that vertigo is not a medical condition or disorder. Vertigo is actually a group of symptoms that are caused by other disorders.
According to research almost forty percent of people that are over the age of forty at least once experience this group of symptoms.
If the symptoms mentioned above are familiar, don’t worry there is a way. In order to treat vertigo, you must repair the inner ear. To repair the inner ear, you must find out the cause of the damage. And by changing your lifestyle, you can at least prevent to happen again.
What Is Vertigo?
First, let make sure what is actually vertigo. Different disorders lead to dysfunction of the balance. The balance is the body`s ability to maintain the center of mass along with its base of support.
Multiple systems help us with our balance, in our surrounding to identify orientation and to keep us upright in a time of movement.
Systems that help with our balance are a vestibular system ( to move and not fall), a sensorimotor control system ( control senses- hearing and sight), and the system responsible for touch – the proprioception system.
The inner ears do not only help with our sight but are significant part of the vestibular system ( helps us with identification with space)
When parts of the ears do not send info about your position to the brain that is what we call vertigo. Many reasons actually lead for this to happen. Reasons that lead to vertigo are aging, ear infections, inflammation, a blow to the head and injuries. But don’t worry there always is a way.
6 Ways to Get Rid of Vertigo
1. Reduce Stress
Stress actually contributes to everything. If you are under stress that shall reduce your immunity. If there is a reduction of your immunity, you may experience problems with the vestibular system such as ear infections, swelling.
If you are prone to vertigo, you need to get rest and sleep well and also exercise. Under stress, you shall not be in a mood to exercise and to be calm enough to get some rest. Chronic stress may lead to consequences and is dangerous.
You can always rely on the natural way to get rid of stress such as spending time outdoors, meditation, exercise, yoga, essential oils and warm baths.
2. Get Enough Rest Too but Also Be Active
Lack of sleep and inactivity lead to vertigo. People who have insomnia and are not active are more likely to have vertigo. With exercise, you will also control the stress and can lower the levels of your blood pressure. Sleep enough ( 7 – 8 hours) every night, and you shall have the energy to exercise and move.
If you are dizzy in the morning, there are ways. One way is to sleep with two pillows. If that is not comfortable for you, you can sleep with a slightly raised head. However, always get slowly once you wake up, or just sit for a minute after you wake up.
The sitting is actually beneficial for your ears and also your head because that is the way to get accustomed. Do this, and then you can start with your morning routines.
3. Stay Hydrated and Maintain a Healthy Diet
You can limit the infection and inflammation within the ears and prevent dehydration by having a rich-nutrient diet. You might get medications from some doctors to reduce the infection or inflammation, but for some, that does not help.
Lower the risk for vertigo and at the same time manage your blood pressure by consuming anti-inflammatory foods.
These foods are usually hydrated and protect you from dehydration. Foods to include: vegetables especially leafy greens( lowering potassium), lean protein clean sources ( pasture-raise poultry, grass-fed meat and cage-free eggs, fats but healthy sources ( extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and wild fish), fruit (avocado and bananas).
If you often feel dizzy, try to reduce the alcohol and caffeine on a daily basis and make sure to drink water. Water is crucial because dehydration might cause the change in your blood pressure and dizziness, even a mild one might cause that. Mild dehydration leads to feeling nauseous and off-balance.
4. Head Maneuvers – CRP
Always do this with a doctor, if this is the way you choose to get rid of vertigo!
Ear rocks i.e. calcium deposits if placed in a certain area may cause problems. There are head adjustments and types of exercises that move these so-called ear rocks. The American Academy of Neurology recommends this technique.
The technique is series of body and head movements to clean canals found in the inner ear chamber. People that have vertigo – BPPV-type CRP shall have effect for them. For this type of vertigo for the CRP, the cure rate is at approximately eighty percent. But you may also use it to prevent vertigo if you already experienced it.
But what are these exercise about and how do they work? There are four positions that you need to do as long as you have the symptoms or for thirty to forty-five seconds. Also, another position where you hold your head fixed for twenty seconds. You do this position as soon as the symptoms stop.
What does actually happen? When you move your head, some canaliths are inside the canals they go in the utricle to their proper place, and after that, they dissolve, and they break up which actually stops your dizziness.
The procedure is quick and painless. If you choose this way of treatment, make sure to do these procedures at the doctor`s office. The doctor can show you how to perform them in a proper way.
5. Physical Therapy
Vestibular rehabilitation is one form of physical therapy for the vestibular organs and is considered to be helpful. The vestibular system sends information to the brain; the information is in the form of nerve impulses that are actually from nerve endings i.e. sensory receptors.
The therapy shall maintain the senses to work with the organs and the balance to be re-established. For problems of balance caused by the inner ear, the vestibular rehab promotes compensation for the central nervous system.
In addition, what can make vertigo worse is not being active. With physical therapy, you can prevent sore muscles and fatigue of the muscles. In the same time, physical therapy can increase your movement and flexibility, your motion and its range and can increase your strength.
The program called vestibular rehab program many exercises. Some of the exercise help to improve endurance and fitness, build coordination, strengthen your muscles and joints as well, improve your balance. If you can’t sleep properly, the exercises help you to rest and to ease the pain.
6. Consult Your Doctor About Other Causes of Dizziness
If you feel dizzy, that does not necessary mean that you have vertigo. If you have persistent symptoms consult your doctor and/or do a blood test. Before you assume that you have vertigo, know that other things might contribute for you to feel dizzy.
Anxiety may contribute to feel dizzy and also anemic symptoms, low blood pressure, heart complications and deficiency in Vitamin B12.
Also, you should know that certain medications cause or make your dizziness worse such as supplements in high amounts, medications for your blood pressure and drugs that are anti-anxiety.
If you have an episode of feeling dizzy, sit down, and after you rest consult your doctor.
Tips to manage your symptoms in the time you have them:
- Always sit down and rest.
- When you lack balance do not do something that may cause you injury like exercising or driving.
- Consult your doctor whether you should use a cane to help you with the balance.
- If you are one of the many that get up at night to use the bathroom, try not to get up fast and always have good light on the way to the bathroom, just to be safe.
Most common vertigo symptoms
- Fainting or feeling that you are going to faint
- Headaches
- Feeling dizzy
- Increased Perspiration
- Feeling like you are pulled in a particular direction
- Feeling nausea, or vomiting
- When walking or moving being off balance
- Have ringing in your ears
- Eye movements that are abnormal, eye moving toward the eat that is affected ( i.e. nystagmus )
Vertigo symptoms can last few minutes, but they can also last few days. Some symptoms are more drastic. The drastic symptoms depend on the factors that cause vertigo. Factors may be the amount of fluid accumulated in the ear or the damage of the inner ear.
The senses and the body adapt in different ways considering the changes that occur in the ear. Vertigo might return and repeat occasionally. So do remember the tips how to get rid of vertigo.
What Causes Vertigo?
Usually, the position and its change cause vertigo. However, other causes contribute to have this condition. The symptoms affect the sensory organs, inflammation and blood pressure. Common times to experience vertigo is when you get up of bed, exercise, stand or learn some horrific news.
Potential causes are stress in high amount when you have drop in your blood pressure that is sudden. And due to stress, you can get hydrated and not be able to sleep. The causes mentioned above lead to changes in your ears.
Those changes cause you to feel shaky, dizzy and off-balance. Vertigo is more common in women than in men. Also is common with people over the age of 50.
Dependent on the ear damage, vertigo has different categories. Previously was believed that similar injuries caused vertigo. But today researchers know that more than 1 type of problem with the ears may cause vertigo such as inflammation and chronic infections of the ear.
The three types of vertigo are vestibular neuritis (i.e. labyrinthitis), BPPV and Meniere’s disease.
Vestibular Neuritis i.e. Labyrinthitis:
This type of vertigo is caused by viruses in the inner ear or by ear infections. The chronic infections lead to inflammation, which in return damages the nerves that are the ones needed for communicating with the body or the brain about the orientation and the balance.
Vertigo can also be triggered by:
- Brain tumor or stroke
- Strong headaches or migraines
- Medications that might cause damage in your ears
- Neck or head injuries ( these kinds of injuries require surgery)
BPPV:
BPPV or Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo leads to inner-ear problems that often manifest with dizziness. The symptoms of BPPV are spinning, caused by the change of the position of your head or episodes of vertigo that repeat i.e. positional vertigo.
The primary cause of this type is the moving within the ear of the crystals or calcium crystals ( i.e. ear rocks or otoconia). These ear rocks lie in the labyrinth that a part of the ear. Then after the movement, the vestibular system is affected.
This system has three structures that are loop-shaped ( semicircular canals).
Some sensors look like hair and fluid that actually monitors the movements of the head.
These calcium crystals are also called canaliths. The canaliths dislodge from their position in the one part of the ear i.e. utricle, the go in the semicircular canals. This is when the problem occurs, due to the fact that based on the fluids, nerves found in the ear to brain send signals about the position of the body and head.
Within the inner ear, there are small openings that hold fluids. The fluids move in tiny canals and then send signals about your position that is relative to the earth( bent over, upright or sideways). That is the thing that typically helps you to maintain your balance.
When you move your head, it is differently oriented. That causes the movement of the fluids. The forced or sudden move of the head shifts the ear rocks and leads to abnormal accumulation of fluids.
Then nerve hairs that are sensitive are stimulated by the ear rocks, and in return, they send signals to the brain, but those signals are false.
Simple movements may cause BPPV:
- Leaning your head to one side
- looking down or up
- Fast jerks in the head caused by car accidents
- Exercising
- While sleeping rolling over onto one side (lack of sleep and stress are tied to the development of BPPV and make vertigo worse, possibly due to the and tossing in bed)
Meniere’s Disease:
This type of vertigo is a severe and rare disorder of the inner ear. It develops after there is abnormal fluid accumulation in your inner ear. That accumulation causes the change of the pressure levels in the ear. This disease can cause tinnitus i.e. ringing in the ears, but it may also lead to loss of the hearing.
The Meniere`s disease can be sub-classified that depends on the semicircular that is affected. The fluid in the lateral or even the posterior canal can be the cause.
There is an estimation that around 0.2 percent of people between 40 and 60 suffer from this disease. This type of vertigo is much rarer than the other two.
Statistics
- 40 % of people ( to be accurate around 125 million people) over 40 years, experience severe vertigo to the point where they need to consult a doctor
- There are more than twelve balance disorders that might cause vertigo
- Three principal types of vertigo are vestibular neuritis, BPPV and Meniere`s disease.
- The number one cause of balance disorders like vertigo is BPPV. Every year BPPV affects 2% of the population.
- Around 0.2 % of people between the age of 40 and 60 suffer from Meniere’s disease, that is
a rare form of vertigo.
- Women are twice as likely to suffer from vertigo than men.
- Around 80% of people that have BPPV after having the head maneuvers feel relief.
- People that had vertigo, 50% of them usually experience it again in the period of five
Key facts on How to Get Rid of Vertigo
- Vertigo is a group or cluster of symptoms; it is not a condition or disorder.
- Around forty percent of people over 40 years might have vertigo at least once in their life.
- Vertigo is a symptom caused by changes in the inner ears that are abnormal.
- When parts of your ears do not send correct information about your position to your brain that is when vertigo develops.
- Six ways how to get rid of vertigo: head maneuvers (canalith repositioning procedure), healthy diet and stay hydrated, get rest and be active, consult your doctor about other causes of dizziness, physical therapy and make sure to reduce stress.
- Fifty percent of patients that had vertigo, within five-year have that problem again.
- Stress, dehydration, and drop in blood pressure are potential causes of vertigo.
More common in women and people over the age of 50. - Three principal types of vertigo are vestibular neuritis, BPPV and Meniere`s disease.
- Twelve balance disorders cause vertigo.
- BPPV results in problems within the inner ear which cause to feel dizzy – the most common cause of vertigo.
Here’s the Vertigo by Numbers infographic.
Source Dr. Axe
