Vertigo is a common sensation most of us have felt at one point. It’s a feeling of dizziness or like the world around you is spinning. When it happens, you will have a hard time with balance.
When vertigo happens frequently, it becomes a medical issue. Experts have classified vertigo into two main categories: peripheral and central.
- Peripheral vertigo happens due to an issue in your inner ear or vestibular nerve, an area responsible for your sense of balance. This category of vertigo is the most common and not life-threatening.
- Central vertigo isn’t common, and it indicates a serious condition affecting your brain, like nerve damage, stroke, or an infection.
Treating vertigo involves finding the underlying condition and working towards its solution. Some people have to live with vertigo and look for ways of managing the symptoms.
If you’re currently living with vertigo, here are five easy-to-follow lifestyle adjustments that offer relief.
Deal With Stress
Stress is bad for your health on its own, and when it stems from an illness, it just makes things worse.
While stress doesn’t directly increase vertigo symptoms, it will make it difficult to handle the condition. You won’t be in the right state of mind to cope with your symptoms.
By working on your stress levels, you keep the pressure and anxiety out of the situation, allowing yourself to focus on relieving your vertigo.
Use relaxation techniques like breathing exercises or meditation to handle stress and stay calm when vertigo hits.
Practice Yoga
Yoga is a system of movements with proven physical and mental health benefits. It may help restore balance and flexibility undermined by vertigo, particularly the types that stem from the body’s balance apparatus.
When practicing yoga to relieve vertigo, stick to simple and gentle poses instead of sudden ones to avoid worsening your symptoms.
If you are unfamiliar with yoga, get training from an expert to ensure you are doing things right. Some techniques like pranayama and certain asanas may benefit vertigo patients.
Still, it’s best to work under the guidance of an expert to avoid worsening your symptoms.
Consider Herbal Therapies
While there isn’t much research on the effect of herbal therapies on vertigo, some studies have provided interesting results.
One such study suggests that ginkgo biloba extract may treat symptoms of non-specific vertigo as effectively as prescription medications.
Cannabis, a powerful herb with medicinal properties, may also relieve vertigo symptoms. Cannabis can relieve nausea and headaches, which may accompany vertigo episodes.
Patient reports have shown that cannabis oil can reduce symptoms and the frequency of vertigo attacks. You can find more information on cannabis and vertigo on Veriheal if you are considering cannabis as a remedy.
Dietary Adjustments
Experts suggest dietary adjustments to relieve symptoms of vertigo. It is thought that a balanced diet may help your inner ear to stabilize. Most of all, avoid foods with too much sugar and salt.
Also, reduce your caffeine and alcohol intake, as these may trigger or make your symptoms worse.
In addition to a proper diet, drink enough water because dehydration is one of the causes of vertigo. While it may not be responsible for your case of vertigo, it can worsen your symptoms.
By staying hydrated, you provide the body with enough fluids to function properly. You may add lemon to your water to help maintain your body’s alkaline level.
Get Quality Sleep
When you are not sleeping well, you are likely to struggle during the day. If it becomes a habit, you risk developing serious health complications like hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Lack of quality sleep may also worsen your vertigo because these disturbances affect the brain’s ability to control the body’s movement and balance.
Make sure you get quality sleep each night by creating a consistent sleep schedule where you go to bed at the same time every night.
Practice healthy sleep habits to improve your sleep, and try sleeping on your back if you have peripheral vertigo. The position prevents fluid buildup, stopping the movement of canaliths out of the utricle.
Conclusion
It is possible to live a normal life with vertigo as you seek treatment options. While the experience can be harrowing, medications and lifestyle adjustments can make the symptoms manageable or even less frequent.
We suggest seeing a medical provider for proper care if your vertigo is severe or occurs often.