What is vertigo?
Do you often feel dizzy? Have you ever been out in a boat, or looked down from the top of the Empire State Building, and gotten the feeling that it was spinning around you? This is vertigo.
Vertigo is a condition that causes dizziness and loss of balance. It is characterized by a whirling sensation as if the person had been spinning around for too long. There are a few different types of vertigo, but generally, it is caused by disruptions in the inner ear or brain. It can make you feel dizzy and off-balance. But to be precise vertigo isn’t a disease. Rather, it’s a symptom of an underlying health condition.
Vertigo can affect everyone, but some people like females and aged are more prone to it than others. It can be caused by a lot of different things — including anxiety, alcohol abuse, neurological disorders like migraines and strokes, tumors of the brain and ear, viral infection of the ears, as well as certain medications. The most common cause of Vertigo is Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo which is due to the dislocation of the calcium carbonate crystals from the original site in the inner ear (otolith organs) to the semicircular canals.
What are the signs of vertigo?
If you have vertigo, you may experience some of the following signs:
– Dizziness
– Feeling as if objects are spinning around you or moving too fast for your eyes to track their movements
-feeling of an internal rotation of the body
– Rotation sensation in your head, neck, and/or stomach area
– Light-headedness or feeling faint or even blackouts
– A feeling that someone is pulling on the top of your head (this can sometimes be relieved by lying down)
– While sitting up in bed, looking straight ahead and then turning to one side quickly can also cause a sense of vertigo.
– Difficulty walking, in some cases to the point of stumbling or falling over
– Nausea
– Blurred vision
– Hearing loss or ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
– Drowsiness
Because every individual is different, what’s normal for you may not be normal for another person who also experiences dizziness. To help your doctor evaluate your specific dizzy spells and decide if you have vertigo, it’s important for you to be as specific as possible about when, where, and how the dizziness occurs.
What are the main causes of vertigo?
There are many different causes for vertigo, from infections to ear infections to medications that contain too much caffeine. Sometimes there can be underlying conditions associated with it as well, such as Meniere’s disease and migraines. A doctor visit may be able to determine what caused your symptoms and how to prevent reoccurrence.
The list below is composed of the most common causes of vertigo
1. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) – this is an inner ear canal abnormality that arises due to displacement of the calcium carbonate crystals that have moved from their proper location within the inner ear. This type of vertigo can often be resolved by a specific physical maneuver
2. Meniere’s disease often results from an accumulation of endolymph(fluid) in the inner ear causing pressure in the labyrinth leading to vertigo, tinnitus & hearing loss.
3. Infection or inflammation within the inner ear which can be either due to a Virus or bacteria
4. Tumors within the inner ear(like acoustic neuroma) which can cause pressure changes that result in dizziness, tinnitus, and hearing loss
5. Migraines, though some vertigo sufferers also suffer from migraines
6. Post-traumatic vertigo – trauma to the head can cause fluid to accumulate within the inner ear and brain, triggering a brief period of dizziness or severe vertigo
7. Meniere’s disease – an inner ear canal abnormality that arises from a combination of vascular compression in the labyrinth of the inner ear and nerve damage leading to vertigo
8. Degenerative disease of the inner ear or brain – often due to age-related degeneration,
9. Brain abnormalities – hydrocephalus, cerebral tumors or stroke, diseases like parkinsonism, multiple sclerosis, and multi-system dystrophy can cause dizziness, imbalance, and vertigo
10. Repeated brief spells of momentary vertigo several times a day could be due to vestibular epilepsy/seizure/paroxysm
11. Trauma – whiplash injuries can cause positional vertigo and may last for several years.
12. Migraine-associated vertigo – recurrent vertiginous sensation accompanied by intolerance to loud sound or light
13. Cerebellar ataxia can be caused by disease or injury to the cerebellum resulting in impaired coordination and movement as well as dizziness
14. Disconnection syndrome – disassociation between the eyes and brain, with or without hearing loss
How long does vertigo usually last?
If you have vertigo, it can be a debilitating condition. It’s difficult to plan anything because there’s no telling when your vertigo might strike. But, as with many other chronic ailments, knowing how long they are likely to last can help you work around them and make plans accordingly.
So how long does vertigo usually last? An attack of vertigo can last from a few secs to mins to even hours and days depending upon the cause of vertigo, diseases like BPPV, Vestibular seizure/epilepsy the vertiginous sensations last for only a few secs, chronic diseases like Meniere’s disease, Vestibular Migraine can last from few mins to hours; however vertigo due to vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis can last for several hours to days.
How do you get vertigo to go away?
If you’re suffering from vertigo, you might be wondering how to get vertigo to go away. This is especially true if the experience has happened frequently and it doesn’t seem like it will stop.
There are different methods that have proven effective in getting rid of your symptoms, so while they won’t all work for everyone, hopefully, you’ll find one that works for you! Although it is always advisable to visit the Best Vertigo Doctor in Kolkata if you are experiencing vertigo very often!
We will start with the most common and easiest approach: resting in a dark room. If that doesn’t do the trick, we’ve collected a few more ways to make a change in your environment or try taking some medication.
“The response is to simply find a dark room, close the curtains, and rest in the dark. If your vertigo is due to a migraine diathesis or a Vestibular Migraine it will work for in a number of occasions. It helps with motion sickness also which is a migraine variant,if you’re feeling it.”
Elevating your head with pillows or even a towel will help to reduce vertigo in some occasions of positional vertigo which doesn’t have any medications as its treatment.
Stop watching TV all day long, especially vertical shows like sports or movies may trigger migraine resulting in vertiginous sensations.
Try lowering the volume of your music while you’re listening to it. I know that’s not what everyone likes to hear, but the higher the tone, the more it will affect your balance.
Stop focusing on what’s happening in front of you when you’re reading a book or watching TV. If you’re having trouble with this, try closing one eye at a time until everything goes back to normal and stops moving so much.
Avoid stressful situations for a couple of days if possible, like going outside when there’s loud traffic or construction in areas where you usually walk.
Take some medicine if you’ve had a hard time resting in a dark room for long periods of time. If your symptoms come back, talk to your doctor about different methods of treatment or other alternative ways to get your vertigo under control.
When Should I See a Vertigo Specialist?
If vertigo becomes severe or recurrent, it’s time to visit the best vertigo specialist in Kolkata to get treated and diagnose what really causing you Vertigo. There could be an underlying health condition.
