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Vertigo causes a different kind of dizziness to arise. Not only do you feel like your little world is spinning, but you have to deal with a collection of other frustrating (and sometimes scary) symptoms. In order to reclaim your senses, you must achieve a certain level of stability and steadiness. Home remedies for vertigo not only help regain control over your body, but also works towards balancing out your environment.

What is Vertigo?

For starters, vertigo is not a disease, it is a symptom that produces dizzying effects. Patients often experience the sensation of spinning or whirling because their balance (or equilibrium) has been disrupted [1]. Sometimes, the term is used to relate feelings of dizziness, lightheadedness, faintness, and unsteadiness.

Vertigo is not the same as just ‘feeling dizzy’ – people actually feel that some kind of movement is involved when it really isn’t. If you feel that you are moving, you are suffering from ‘subjective vertigo.’ ‘ Objective vertigo’ is the perception that your surroundings are moving.

Causes and Symptoms

Issues with the brain or the inner ear cause an individual to experience vertigo. The most common form of vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), where individuals encounter a sensation of motion after sudden head movements or turning the head in a certain direction.

Other medical conditions associated with vertigo include Meniere’s disease (accompanied by ringing in the ears and hearing loss); acoustic neuroma (vertigo-causing tumor); decreased blood flow to the base of the brain; multiple sclerosis; head trauma and neck injury; and migraine headaches.

In addition to feeling the sensation of disorientation or motion, symptoms of vertigo may include nausea, vomiting, excessive sweating, hearing loss, ringing of the ears, weakness, visual disturbances, abnormal eye movements, as well as difficulty speaking and walking [2].

Vertigo Home Remedies

Vertigo is more of a common health problem in adults than you would typically think. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), nearly 40% of people in the United States experience feeling dizzy at least one time during their life. In order to overcome this sensation and other symptoms, consider the following home remedies for vertigo:

a) Focusing Technique:

As you experience the onset of an attack, focus your eyes on a stationary object around you, like a building or bookcase. Keep focusing on that fixed point to deliver visual cues to the brain that help achieve balance and calm the dizziness.

b) Massage:

When the diagonal muscle located on the front of your neck becomes tight from too much work or stress, vertigo can occur. Massage this part of the body to ease symptoms. Clair Davies gives advice for this sort of treatment in her book titled, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook.

c) Dietary Tips:

Eat foods that contain lots of vitamins and protein to help tame the spinning sensation of vertigo. Do not reach for a cup of coffee, chocolates, fried foods, or iced tea.

d) Salty Foods:

Sometimes, vertigo is caused by an imbalance of salt levels in the body or poor digestion. Treat your vertigo symptoms with salty potato chips, pretzels or a salty soup and sandwich combo. Complete relief should come within a few hours.

e) Cold Water:

To ease dizziness, drink two to three tall glasses of ice-cold water.

f) Move Slowly:

Moving slowly can help combat the effects of vertigo, which also decreases your chances of suffering an injury during an attack.

g) Head Positioning:

Some vertigo attacks come when the head suffers unexpected and quick movements. Do not jerk your neck or bend it back while looking up.

h) Pillows:

When the sensations associated with vertigo emerge, lying down is sometimes the best solution. Avoid lying flat on your back, but instead, position yourself with your head propped up on pillows.

i) Put Down the Playstation:

In some cases, vertigo strikes during fast-paced virtual reality video games. Limit your use of entertainment outlets that rely on this sort of effect, such as Playstation and Wii.

j) Therapeutic Approach:

Breathing exercises and meditation can help an individual suffering from vertigo, as it helps the body and mind to refocus.

Resources

[1] http://www.neurologychannel.com/vertigo/index.shtml
[2] http://www.emedicinehealth.com/vertigo/page3_em.htm#Vertigo%20Symptoms