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Vertigo
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Vertigo Overview
Vertigo gets better in most cases without treatment.
Vertigo feels like you or everything around you is spinning – enough to affect your balance. It's more than just feeling dizzy.
A vertigo attack can last from a few seconds to hours. If you have severe vertigo it can last for many days or months.
Causes
Inner ear problems, which affect balance, are the most common causes:
- benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) – where specific head movements cause vertigo
- labyrinthitis – an inner ear infection caused by a cold or flu virus
- vestibular neuronitis – inflammation of the vestibular nerve
- Ménière's disease – a rare inner ear condition, which sometimes involves ringing in the ear (tinnitus) or loss of hearing
Other things that can cause vertigo:
- migraine
- some types of medicine – check the leaflet to see if it's listed as a side effect
- Sometimes the cause is unknown.
Treatment
Most cases of vertigo get better without treatment.
Treatment will depend on the cause. Your GP might prescribe antibiotics if it's caused by an infection.
You could also be given special exercises to do to try and correct your balance.
Antihistamines can sometimes help with vertigo symptoms.
Self-help
Help with vertigo
There are things you can do to ease vertigo symptoms when they're happening, and to reduce the number of episodes you have.
Do- lie still in a quiet, dark room to reduce the spinning feeling
- move your head carefully and slowly during daily activities
- sit down straightaway when you feel dizzy
- turn on the lights if you get up at night
- use a walking stick if you're at risk of falling
- sleep with your head slightly raised on 2 or more pillows
- get out of bed slowly and sit on the edge of the bed for a while before standing up
- try to relax – anxiety can make vertigo worse
- bend over to pick things up – squat to lower yourself instead
- stretch your neck – for example, while reaching up to a high shelf