Dizziness is also known as Vertigo can be just a word or symptom for those who don’t have it, but the burden of this situation can only be understood by those who suffer from vertigo. Just imagine what will you do if everything around you is spinning? Yes, this is exactly what a vertigo patient goes through. Vertigo can be dangerous and it’s recommended that you visit a doctor for vertigo. Also, there are some Home Remedies of Dizziness that you should know.
What is it like to feel Dizziness?
Dizziness is commonly popular as a feeling or unpleasant sensation where you feel you are or your world is spinning, moving, tilted, rocking, unbalanced, or unsteady—even though you or your surrounding is still. Such feelings get bad while standing, walking, moving the head.
Most people experiencing vertigo describe such sensations as physically exhausting and taxing and sometimes gets so severe that it feels nauseated or experience vomiting. Other symptoms like light-headedness, fainting, or motion sickness may accompany vertigo but they are not symptoms of dizziness.
People may experience vertigo temporarily or long term. The symptoms will probably depend on what’s causing the episodes and the type of vertigo. It can happen when there is a problem with the inner ear, brain, sensory nerve pathway or can occur during pregnancy.
Dizziness attack duration can vary, it can last for a few seconds or for a couple of hours and even days. It can limit a person’s activities and make them feel sick, even the simple movements are unusually intense for people with vertigo, and the condition can affect daily life.
What can cause Dizziness / Vertigo?
Dizziness is considered a symptom of an underlying condition if it keeps occurring—not a condition.
Sometimes you may experience vertigo only once, but it can continue to recur until the underlying condition is found.
It has generally been associated with inner ear conditions like Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease, Vestibular Neuritis (VN). Other conditions that may cause vertigo include stroke, head or neck injuries, cold virus. While these diseases are different, they affect the ear in a similar fashion and make our inner ear unable to send a sense of balance to the brain.
Home Remedies of Dizziness
The majority of people won’t have more than one or two attacks of vertigo and it resolves without treatment, as the brain has a mechanism to compensate for changes to the inner ear to restore balance.
Treating vertigo at home might work as a short-term solution. But if you continue to experience frequent vertigo despite following the remedies, it’s important to find out the cause.
Your doctor might be able to diagnose you, or you may be referred to an ear, nose, and throat specialist or neuro physician for further evaluation.
Certain home remedies, therapeutic approaches, and alternative treatments can help symptoms of vertigo.
1. Try home exercises
Home exercises using techniques such as the Epley maneuver, Semont Maneuver Brandt-Daroff Technique are often recommended by physical therapists as a way of treating vertigo at home.
Such techniques involve moving the position of the head in a specific way until the symptoms of vertigo resolve.
One can try using balance therapy to train their bodies to become less sensitive to movement.
Yoga or tai chi can also help to regain balance, focus, coordination, and movement. It can also help to increase flexibility and train the brain to counteract the effects of vertigo.
Be cautious about any exercise or movement that involves sudden bending forward, as that could make the symptoms worse.
2. Stay hydrated
A dehydrated body can be harmful and cause vertigo symptoms to flare. Therefore, stay hydrated and take enough fluids throughout the day.
Be aware of situations where you are losing more water than normal (gym or sunny day) and replenish the body consistently. Monitor your water intake and other sweaty situations that might make you lose extra fluids.
3. Use herbal remedies
Herbs solutions like ginger (in tea), cayenne pepper, turmeric, Chinese herb (Ginkgo biloba/Gongjin-dan), etc. works by managing the blood flow to the brain to relieve dizziness and balance issues, thereby, resolving the symptoms of vertigo. Though there isn’t much evidence to confirm that herbal remedies can relieve vertigo.
Some people claim that using essential oils (such as peppermint, lavender, lemon balm, ginger) helps improve symptoms of dizziness.
4. Consider lifestyle changes
Following self-care tactics can help reduce the effects of dizziness:
- Immediately sit or lie down the moment you feel dizzy
- Don’t rush! Avoid moving suddenly
- Taking extra time to perform movements that trigger symptoms (getting up, turning head, looking up)
- Rest during and after attacks
- Prefer squat position instead of bending position to pick things
- Use a cane when walking for stability
- Raise head slightly during sleeping (use pillows)
- Modify arrangements of things at home to remove tripping hazards
- Use good lighting (especially at night) to help prevent falls
- Avoid using ladders
- Avoid driving or operating heavy machinery when you feel dizzy
- Be aware of the possibility of losing your balance
- Take adequate sleep to avoid sleep deprivation
5. Make dietary changes
- Eat frequently but smaller meals
- Limit salt intake in the food to retain more body fluids
- Limit alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine intake that affects the body’s fluid balance
- Avoid tyramine containing amino acids (in a range of foods like chicken liver, smoked meats, nuts, yogurts, etc.) that may trigger migraine
- Take vitamin D supplements (milk, orange juice, canned tuna, egg yolks)
6. Manage stress
Managing your stress levels is essential for your overall health. Just focusing on your stress factors might cut down on your vertigo symptoms.
Developing coping strategies to navigate stressful situations could decrease your episodes of vertigo. Practicing meditation and deep-breathing techniques may help you feel more relaxed.
Studies have also supported acupuncture as a safe and effective way to treat dizziness.
The Bottom Line
Dizziness is a feeling of spinning, but it may also mean someone feels lightheaded, sick, or has other ear-related problems. Vertigo is a symptom of various conditions when someone has a problem with three balance-related structures which are the inner ear, eyes, or sensory nerve pathway.
For most people, vertigo is temporary without any harm, but the reason needs to be identified.
Dizziness can mean different things to different people and can be triggered by multiple reasons or situations. It often goes away over time, but if it doesn’t then the doctor recommends medication, lifestyle changes, or other treatments depending on what is causing vertigo.
Simple home-based measures can avoid a vertigo episode. Altering your diet and avoiding some types of foods promote fluid balance in the ears and body.
