Vertigo is a tricky symptom. You’ve taken medications, tried head position maneuvers, and balance therapies, but nothing seems to help with your vertigo. What should you do next?
It turns out, there are other ways to get relief from vertigo that you’ve overlooked. Visiting a San Diego chiropractor for vertigo is one. Other ways involve some lifestyle changes and positive stress management techniques. If you are upset by years of struggling under the burden of frequent vertigo attacks, here are some ways to resolve your problem.
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Lifestyle Changes and Positive Stress Management
Making simple lifestyle adjustments can contribute to reducing the severity and frequency of your vertigo attacks. Self-care is the most low-cost and least invasive method to improve your health. Although some benefits are minimal as they require a continuous application to show significant results, they are worth giving a try.
On the other hand, stress is a major trigger of vertigo episodes. Whether at work or home, not all stress can be avoided, so you must learn how to manage your stress positively.
1. Drinking more water
Dehydration can bring about vertigo as a symptom. Even slight dehydration can lead to lower blood pressure, which can leave a person dizzy, nauseous, and off-balanced. Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day to maintain proper hydration in your body.
2. Regulating caffeine intake
A small amount of caffeine can improve blood flow, but too much of it can worsen the severity of vertigo. Coffee, tea, energy drinks, and other beverages with caffeine can aggravate the tinnitus that comes with Meniere’s disease, a condition associated with vertigo. So, limit your daily caffeine.
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3. Quitting smoking
Smoking can have a huge impact on the body’s immune system. It can cause the blood vessels to constrict. Constriction of the blood vessels limits the flow of blood to the ears and brain, bringing on worse vertigo attacks.
4. Limiting alcohol intake
Alcohol can cause dehydration, and dehydration can contribute to vertigo. Also, alcohol brings vertigo by altering the signals within the brain cells. Signals pass between neurons and neurotransmitters. Alcohol disturbs the trails of the neurotransmitter and other parts of the brain. Faulty signals can cause the brain to misinterpret the input from the inner ear, leading to symptoms of vertigo.
5. Avoiding fasting
Skipping meals can reduce your blood sugar levels, resulting in low energy and moodiness, lightheadedness, and even vertigo. To keep your blood sugar balanced, eat meals and snacks at regular intervals.
6. Reducing salt intake
This would particularly benefit those with vertigo caused by Meniere’s. Besides helping with hydration in the body, reduction of your salt intake would reduce the frequency and severity of your vertigo episodes. Meniere’s is due to the retention of excessive fluid in the inner ear. Reducing salt consumption can keep excess fluid out of the body.
7. An Exclusion diet
Eating foods that you are allergic or sensitive to can result in congestion and build-up of fluid in your ears. Too much endolymphatic hydrops (fluid in the ear) can lead to vertigo. An exclusion diet is basically removing the major allergens from your diet and slowly bring them back to identify if you have any food sensitivities, then eventually avoiding the foods you have an issue with. Consult your doctor before trying a new nutritional plan.
8. Knowing your triggers
Some triggers are avoidable. Many people get dizzy when standing up too quickly. If you experience this, be sure to take your time getting up. If you get vertigo when you bend at the waist to pick up or lift an object, practice bending at the knees instead.
9. Exercise
Vestibular rehabilitation involves certain exercises that can help alleviate the symptoms of vertigo by training the brain to adjust to the happenings inside the ear, controlling eye movements so the vision remains unbothered by head motion, and refining steadiness and balance. Apart from these, exercise is an excellent stress relief method.
10. Relaxation
Once again, stress is a major trigger for vertigo. Taking breaks during the day when necessary or taking a vacation occasionally would greatly help you manage your stress. Also, pursue a relaxing hobby or get a therapeutic massage.
11. Breathing exercises
Since stress makes the symptoms of vertigo even worse, you need some mind and body medicine. Breathing exercises are useful in easing your symptoms as they help in clearing your mind from distractions. They help lessen overall stress.
12. Focused meditation
Giving in to negative stress coping mechanisms such as drinking alcohol and smoking will only make your vertigo worse. Instead, do focused meditation. More than clearing your mind, you must focus on positive things. Always have a positive perspective in every situation, including in difficult life circumstances. Treat each situation as a learning experience rather than an obstacle.
13. Upper cervical chiropractic
Many of the issues that bring about vertigo originate in the upper neck. The atlas vertebra surrounds the brainstem, which serves as its protector. However, even the smallest misalignment can lead to disruption in the brainstem function. The atlas sits midway between the ears. Once it moves out of alignment, it affects the soft tissues, leading to impairment in the ability of the eustachian tubes to drain too much fluid from the ears. The result is vertigo.
If you have recurring vertigo, an upper cervical adjustment may be the best option to get help. To learn more about this unique form of care, contact Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego in California and schedule an appointment with me. This can be a solution for your overall health and wellness needs.
To schedule a consultation with Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego, call 858-434-5926 or just click the button below.
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
