Suddenly experiencing vertigo can be frightening. You might change your body position and feel the world spinning or feel like you are falling. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV might cause you to experience these sensations. BPPV happens to people of all ages and becomes more common as people grow older. Younger people might experience BPPV after other medical conditions, including migraines, ear infections, or mild concussions. BPPV is normally not life-threatening, but sudden dizziness could put you at risk of injuries.
How BPPV and dizziness occurs
Your inner ear helps to stabilize your balance. However, pressure in your inner ears can throw your sense of balance out of whack. Over time, the otoconia or calcium carbonate crystals in your ears degenerate and can fall into the posterior canal of your ear. The added weight on the semicircular canals changes how the canal functions to sense velocity. When you roll over in bed, the debris in your posterior canal can impact the nerve endings and change their direction. This leads to the sensation of spinning or falling.
Treatment for BPPV
While vertigo normally goes away after a short time, some people might experience ongoing problems for days, weeks, or months. Antivert or meclizine might reduce nausea and dizziness, but they do not treat the underlying problem.
Normally, your body should reabsorb calcium carbonate before it forms crystals in your ears. However, your biochemistry might interfere with your body’s ability to absorb calcium before it can crystallize in your ears. There are several positioning techniques that can be used to treat BPPV. Audiologists perform these treatments to help dislodge the crystals so that they move out of the posterior canal where your body can dissolve them more easily.
Your audiologist might advise you to avoid lying on your back for a few nights after treatment and to not lie down on the side of your affected ear. If you experience vertigo, you should see your doctor for a proper diagnosis. While you might have BPPV, vertigo can also be a symptom of a more serious medical condition requiring other types of treatment.
Talk to the professionals at Audiology by Accent
Chronic vertigo seriously interferes with the victim’s quality of life. If you regularly experience positional vertigo, you should reach out to the professionals at Audiology by Accent in Gainesville, Florida. Call us today at 352-271-5373 to schedule an appointment.