Vertigo Prevention: How to Stop Vertigo and Ensure it Stays Gone

Vertigo is a sudden sensation that makes you feel like the room is spinning around you. It can also make you feel like you’re tilting, rocking, or unsteady. These vertigo sensations are worsened if you stand up, walk, or move your head around. It can be physically exhausting and taxing to those experiencing it and the sensations can be so severe that it can leave you feeling nauseated or cause vomiting. It goes beyond simply feeling dizzy.

A vertigo attack could last a few seconds or several hours. If your vertigo is very severe, it could last for several days or months. Vertigo may be a symptom of another condition too. If you’re experiencing vertigo now, I have created a 5 step plan to get out of the vertigo spins you can download. It has helped many people get relief from vertigo quickly.

4 Things That Cause Vertigo

While there are a variety of different kinds of vertigo as well as what can cause it, there are four main factors that drive vertigo and cause it to happen.

• Semicircular Canals: This is a very common cause of vertigo. Issues with this is usually what causes BPPV also known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, it happens when tiny canalith particles in the inner ear break loose and fall into the semicircular canals of the inner ear.
• Eyes: When our eyes aren’t processing properly or are off balance, the input into our brain and the balance center can wind up being off. Having your eyes checked to make sure that they’re working properly is important.
• Jaw: The jaw and inner ear share a common ligament. So, the bones that are responsible for hearing are also connected with the anatomy of the temporo-mandibular joint. Things like TMJ which trigger stress on the jaw joints can end up affecting the middle ear structure, which is responsible for maintaining equilibrium and can cause vertigo.
• Cervical Spine: This is most commonly overlooked, the bones throughout the neck wind up influencing the balance centers of the brain and can completely throw off your balance and cause you to get into vertigo spins very regularly making sure that your cervical spine and your neck is in the normal position is vital to prevent vertigo.

Maneuvers to Stop a Vertigo Attack

If you’re in a vertigo episode, there are a few maneuvers that can help reduce those problems and symptoms quickly. Depending on what exactly is causing your vertigo, different maneuvers may prove more effective than others. You should always have these maneuvers done with the help of a professional until you learn how to properly perform them with confidence on your own.

The Epley Maneuver

This is a series of movements, normally done on a patient by a doctor, to relieve the symptoms of vertigo, specifically BPPV. This is done by attempting to reposition crystals in the ear that may cause feelings of dizziness. To perform this maneuver:

• Step One: Sit in an upright position on the end of a bed with your legs extended in front of you with your head turned 45 degrees to the side that you’re experiencing the most dizziness.
• Step Two: Lie down, keep your head turned to the side and lifted at a 30-degree angle away from the bed.
• Step Three: Stay in this position for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, until the dizziness goes away.
• Step Four: Turn your head 90 degrees in the other direction then stop when it is 30 degrees from the bed on the other side. Then once again hold this position for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, until the dizziness stops.
• Step Five: Lastly, roll onto your side in the direction your head is facing, holding this position until the dizziness ends.

The Semont Maneuver

This maneuver involves moving rapidly from lying on one side to lying on the other to move the ear crystals out of the sensitive part of the ear. To perform this maneuver:

• Step One: Sit at the edge of your bed and turn your head 45 degrees to the right.
• Step Two: Quickly lie down on your left side, staying there for 30 seconds without moving.
• Step Three: Quickly move to lie down on the opposite side, keeping your head in the same position (a 45-degree angle) and lay still for 30 seconds.
• Step Four: Return slowly to a sitting position and wait a few minutes.

If your right ear is what is causing the vertigo, then start by turning your head to the left instead.

If these maneuvers don’t do the trick, or if you’re looking for another to try, I’ve done a video demonstrating how to do a third maneuver to get out of vertigo spins.

3 Things That Affect Vertigo

There are a few things you can do to influence how often and how severe your experience with vertigo ends up becoming. This boils down to the three factors of stress and how you handle them to ensure vertigo prevention.

Physical Stress

This covers more than just recent physical stressors and injuries, this encompasses what you’ve experienced throughout your entire life. What most people don’t realize is that running into the corner of a table that cuts your head open when you’re younger, even though that injury was taken care of at the time, chances are it also affected and changed the structures in your spine. Later in life, you get headaches or neck pain maybe in your mid-30s, these are warning signs that your spine is out of alignment and that your body is breaking down.

Covering up symptoms with things like pain killers and not taking care of the cause of the problem will cause more significant problems to show up and is why many people over 50 start to experience problems with vertigo spinning and dizziness issues.

Additionally, physical stresses can come in the way of movement and activity you do on a regular basis such as:

• Exercises and workouts
• How you sit at your desk
• Playing with your children
• Car accidents
• Sports

These all play a role and can affect your spinal health. Which is why it is critical to ensure it is properly aligned and ensures your brain can connect to your body properly.

Chemical Stressors

Chemical stress includes the foods you eat, fluids that you drink, medication that you take as well as supplements and nutrients. The cleaner we live, the better we live. You want to put in food and nutrients in the body and less drugs. I’ve created an article specifically on good and bad food for vertigo. Some chemical stressors in particular to be mindful of are:

• Decreasing alcohol intake
• Increasing water intake
• Avoiding food and drink with high sugar
• Checking labels on medication that to see if it lists dizziness as a side effect

Emotional Stressors

Emotional stress has to do with the relationships that you have with people, how you manage relationships and emotions, and events in your life that affect you mentally. This is a more complex topic and has a lot of moving parts. If you’re experiencing this type of stress, there are a few things you can do to reduce it.

• Taking deep breaths
• Meditation
• Breathing exercises
• Seeking out therapy

Your emotional health can have a massive effect on your physical wellbeing, and it is just as important to keep healthy.

What You Can Do to Reduce Vertigo Symptoms

Oftentimes, we ignore the signs our bodies give us with something is off. One of the first steps you can take to beating vertigo and living a life with better overall health is to listen to your body. Ensuring proper hydration, nutrient intake, and exercise are all critical to better health. If you experience vertigo, it can be challenging and cause a lot of dead ends for those who seek to get relief. I’ve created a vertigo steps plan to get you out of the spins and give you another resource to use.

At Align Wellness Center, we have helped thousands of people to restore the proper position of their cervical spine and it’s been amazing how many of them have eliminated vertigo episodes for the rest of their lives. Vertigo prevention is possible if the right steps are taken. If you haven’t had your spine looked at by a corrective chiropractor, this may be why you have not had success in getting rid of vertigo, even though you’ve worked with neurologists, neurosurgeons, and physical therapists.

If you’d like tips on how you can stay healthy and well without drugs and surgery, go ahead and check out other articles on this site. If you continue to struggle with vertigo and dizziness, give us a call at Align Wellness Center (847) 860-6599 or schedule an appointment online.