What Is Vertigo and What Causes It? | 2 Different Types of Vertigo

What Is Vertigo and What Causes Vertigo Attacks?

What Is Vertigo, and What Could Cause Vertigo?

What is vertigo and what causes it?

To me vertigo seems a bit illusive. It can be a head rush that occurs when you jump up from a sitting position too fast, causing you to reel around in a disoriented and dizzy state until you regain your equilibrium. Or it can be an actual affliction that can last for hours or days. What causes this strange phenomenon? Is it preventable? Let us dive in and find out.

What Causes Vertigo Attacks and the Symptoms of Severe Vertigo

It is said that vertigo is a symptom rather than a condition. Symptoms associated with this malady are loss of balance, feeling nauseated, and/or dizzy.

For those of you who have never experienced vertigo, or simply did not understand what you were experiencing, here is a list of symptoms. At the top of the list is dizziness, which often worsens with head movement. Other symptoms include:

• sweating
• nausea
• vomiting
• headache 
• ringing or buzzing in the ears
• temporary hearing loss or the fading away of sound
• involuntary eye movements
• loss of balance

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2 Different Types of Vertigo

There are 2 different types of vertigo. The first, known as peripheral vertigo, is the most common. It occurs when there is a problem in your inner ear or the vestibular nerve.

The other type of vertigo, central vertigo, is due to a problem in the brain, which in turn is caused by stroke, brain tumor, migraine, infection, traumatic brain injury, or multiple sclerosis.

Peripheral vertigo has several causes, the most common one being benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV. It is thought to be caused by small fragments of calcium carbonate crystals which break off from the lining of the channels in your inner ear and then travel to one of the ear’s fluid filled canals. This usually affects older people or people who have recently experienced some form of head injury.

Another cause of severe vertigo is Meniere’s disease. This is a rare condition affecting the inner ear and can cause tinnitus, hearing loss, and vertigo, and may last for hours or days.

Vertigo can be hereditary and is a form of migrainous vertigo.

At Home Treatment for Vertigo

Treatments for vertigo depend on the cause and severity of your symptoms.

During an attack lying still in a darkened room sometimes helps to ease the nausea and spinning sensation. I know it is easier said than done but try to avoid stressful situations as anxiety can worsen the vertigo symptoms. Developing coping strategies to navigate stress could decrease your episodes. Deep breathing
techniques are known to be a simple, yet helpful at home treatment for vertigo.

Sleep deprivation can be what causes vertigo attacks, as can dehydration, and a lack of vitamin D can worsen symptoms. Fortified milk or orange juice, canned tuna, and egg yolks all serve to give your D a boost.

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Here are some simple at home treatments for vertigo:

• Avoiding alcohol, which changes the composition of the fluid in your inner ear, and can cause dizziness and dehydration.
• Repositioning maneuvers such as Epley are often used with some success to relieve symptoms of BPPV. These head moves can help to displace the canalith crystals from the inner ear canals.

• Vestibular rehabilitation therapy involves exercises designed for each individual and their symptoms. Habituation, gaze stabilization, and balance training are also often effective.

• Brandt-Daroff exercise is recommended for sufferers to do at home, although they sometimes provoke increased dizziness for a short period of time.

• Essential oils such as lavender oil can stop dizziness and nausea.

• Ginkgo biloba has been studied and found to be as effective as the leading prescription medication to treat vertigo. Taking 240 milligrams per day should lessen your vertigo symptoms. Its anti-oxidant properties increase blood flow to the brain which improves the transmission of nerve signals and decreases vertigo.

• Gingerroot relieves nausea and dizziness.

If you suffer from vertigo, there are some obvious safety issues to consider.

-inform your employer if your job includes operating machinery or climbing ladders.

-make your home safer for prevention of falls.

-avoid driving if your episodes are often.

Summary

Obviously vertigo runs the gambit from short, quick episodes to those that are more debilitating and of longer duration, but they all must be taken seriously. Consult a naturopathic professional when you feel the episodes are interfering with your life and your safety. There is help to be had!

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