This morning, I woke up, and turned over to my left side in bed, and suddenly the room spun terribly, it felt as though I was falling through the bed. I have never felt anything like that in my life (other than 20 years ago when I was much younger and drank a bit too much!) It has been happening again if I turn too fast around a corner. It also happened again hours later when I lay down on the couch while feeling unwell, on my left side again. Literally the moment I hit the left side on the couch, wham, spinning and feeling as though I am falling through the couch. I seem fine on my back or on my right. I am also extremely sensitive atm to standing up from kneeling - something that happens to most of us to some extent but today the dizziness is very pronounced. I also am having waves of nausea for a time after this happens, as though I may throw up. My muscles seem fatigued.
I've been trying to figure out what's going on. I don't think I'm dehydrated, I don't think I have an ear infection, or any other illness. I got enough sleep. Blood pressure 115 over 80 - seems fine. So I guess a question for the ladies - I am due for my monthly soon and I believe I have started to have some perimenopausal symptoms otherwise (occasional minor hot flashes etc). Shall I chalk this up to hormonal fluctuations? Or more heart issues?
I can vaguely remember reading something about crystals in the ear moving and causing the feeling you describe. Even remember there being an easy exercise to cure it. Have a Google search for ear crystals and see what you find.
I think Jean Jeannie is right, as my friend had this and was given exercises by her GP that completely cured it in a very short time. I expect you can look online for them if your GP is fully booked for weeks. My friend was rolling around on a bed, so not too arduous.
I get vertigo every few months. The first episode was like you described. Honestly thought it was a stroke. Went to the hospital for that one. Sometimes the epley and other maneuvers help me, sometimes they don’t. I take a lot of meclizine when I get it. Usually helps. Glad the Epley helped you. Another one that also helps is the half somersault maneuver. carolfostervertigo.files.wo...
That sounds rather like BPPV - benign paroxysmal Positional vertigo. I had similar a few years back. It was awful but, as Jean and others have said the, Epley manoeuvres sorted it for me. I hope they work for you, too.
I am man and I experience similar episodes, so don't think its a ladies hormonal thing (i have 2 kids so I think my hormones are male) - but very glad I found this and can believe its caused by crystals in the ear
Have you had Covid ? I have been plagued by vertigo since last Christmas shortly after I think I had Covid. (Test inconclusive) I idly googled Covid and there were thousands of instances of Covid being linked to vertigo! Just a thought.
As I was a chiropractor for almost 40 years, I would advise seeing one. A subluxation in the upper cervical spine would be my first thought for the sudden onset of vertigo. Second would be BPPV involving otoconia or crystals in the inner ear.
The Epley manoeuvre is administered by a doctor trained to perform it on patients that haven’t cleared the problem by doing the Brandt-Daroff Exercises. Look all this up on Google. About 90+ % of patients with BPPV respond successfully. Those that don’t, may require the Epley.
You’ll probably want to wait until the dizziness subsides a bit to tolerate doing the exercises or be prepared to have a bucket very close by.
If they don’t work, get to a chiropractor and have him or her check your neck.
i am a retired physio who specialised in vertigo and dizziness, it sounds like benign paroxysmal positional vertigo,BPPV, an Epley manoeuvre frequently works. If it returns consider seeing a physio who is a member of ACPIVR (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Vestibular Rehabilitation) who are experts at diagnosing and treating dizziness. They will be able to exclude anything serious.just google site and then Find a Physio.
Thank you for posting this as it's provoked some very useful answers! My husband is suffering from this at the moment . We both get it from time to time and I am long past menopause. Even doing nothing we find it usually goes away in a few days . Once he was having it at the time of the 6 monthly prescription renewal visit and the doc gave him something for it that worked quite well but can't remember what it was. I find the worst dizziness is changing the position of the head when lying down and the last time I had it it was as you describe- I had never had that sensation of falling through the bed previously just dizziness . I have never been able to tie it to an ear infection.
As others have said it sounds like vertigo or possibly Labyrinthitis.
My mrs has had it and a few friends have had it as well. One of them couldn’t even put 3 steps together it was that bad. He said he felt like he was in a washing machine and was left hugging the toilet.
As far as I know it comes and goes of it’s own accord. Although the Crystal treatment has been known to work in some cases.
I am pretty sure that it has nothing to do with the menopause! My daughter had vertigo quite badly and her husband helped her do the Epley manoeuvre. Be warned, as he did it or it could have been immediately afterwards, he was rather alarmed by her eyes, they flickered backwards and forwards and up and down in a fast jerky manner. She was fine afterwards though and felt much better. This is a recognised effect of the manoeuvre.
I had this and was caused by EAR WAX blockage. I had my ears micro syringed rather than syringed from surgery, and what a lot was removed. However it still took a few weeks for the dizziness to settle .
So it is happening again - it is 3am and it appears to have come back after I’ve been lying down sleeping for a time. I felt normal before I went to bed. I usually sleep on my right side and now when I awake I cannot turn to my left or the room spins and I feel as though I am falling.. In addition I have now noticed visual disturbance along with it. Kind of an exact patterned graininess that fills my vision for a short time. It has happened twice now as I’ve tried to go back to sleep. I am now attempting sleeping on a wedge elevated a bit but I’m getting waves of feeling unwell, dizzy while just lying there, stomach dropping feeling also - and I’m a bit frightened if I’m honest. I’m going to try to see a doctor in the morning I suppose.
Even though I feel confident in my own case that my episodes are benign but horrible, I’d still advise you to get it checked out if it’s something you’ve never experienced before.
I’ve had the same thing happen many times over the years. Like the others. I think the cause is to do with the inner ear/balance mechanism. I’ve woken up with it exactly as you describe and I’ve experienced the same thing in that I can lie on one side and feel reasonably OK but if I lie on the other side the room spins and it’s awful. I’ve also had it triggered by sudden movements, including one occasion when I was coming downstairs on a bus and the driver braked so hard I was thrown around the stairwell.
I don’t think it’s especially worrying as it comes under the category of Benign Positional Vertigo, but that doesn’t mean it’s not horribly unpleasant when it happens. I also have chronic/recurring Eustachian Tube Dysfunction affecting my right ear but that was diagnosed some years later. I’m definitely going to look up those exercises.
Hi, when I've had vertigo like that and felt as if I was going to pass out lying on my stomach so I couldn't see the room spinning helped. In worse case it lasted about 5 days. My GP at the time said it was caused by cold virus attacking inner ear balance and suggested seasick tablets, over the counter at chemist. I've used them ever since if I have an attack and they work v quickly for me, could be worth a try and a standby if they work.
The Epley maneuver worked instantly for me. I went to a sports physical therapist. Amazing. But there can be other causes. I have Meniere's Disease. An ENT can check that for you.
I was recently diagnosed with BPPV after becoming dizzy overnight and after the hospital ruled out a stroke. A specialist physio who is treating me explained that it is caused by crystals, that are normally attached to the hairs that line the inner ear canals, coming lose. In my case the Epley manoeuvre didn't achieve a complete cure, but exercises have helped.
Anyone who suffers from vertigo should get medical advice as in some cases at least it can be quickly cured.
When vertigo first happened to me on waking at 8am, I thought I was dying (honestly!). Never experienced anything like it. Worse turning to my left. With accompanying cold sweats, nausea, dry wretching, inability to drink water, I was stuck rigid in my bed for 8 hours until a GP arrived. He tried some "manoeuvres", but unsuccessfully. A medication arrived later in the evening, and I think I took one, but then realised it was an anti-psychotic, so avoided the rest. It took days, weeks, months, over a year to resolve. Eventually diagnosed as vestibular neuritis, a viral infection of the inner ear. But the diagnosis was a bit vague, could it be labyrinthitis? Then talking to others I learned "there's a lot of it (vertigo) about", with different causes. Who knew!
Horrible doesn't cover it.
But keep the faith, however it is diagnosed, there is a way through.
I had the same problem, it's caused by loose crystals moving about in the inner ear.
I carried out the Epley manoevre on myself, it actually caused me to briefly vomit, not a pleasant feeling, but unless you get these unpleasant feelings it isn't working, as the crystals are not moving around as required by the head movements.
Look up the Epley manouvre, it works.
Eventually the crystals will be back where they won't cause these nauseous feelings, and they will eventually dissolve and stop being a problem.
It may take a few days to settle down, and it may be helpful to sleep with your upper body slightly propped up for a few days
I don’t want to rock the boat, but I’ve complained about dizziness upon standing for years. I’m 6’5 and was told it was the blood rushing from my head. I’d actually look for a place to fall, but never went out. I’m on AFIB meds and I began to wonder if that might have something to do with it. I also started getting neuropathy in my feet, which is fun. My GP and cardiologist shined it on. I finally went to a neurologist. He did some fun electric tests on my feet, legs, arms and and 3 tests on my brain activity. He didn’t like what he saw on one brain test and I’m getting a MRI in a few weeks. He had a few big words that I had to look up and it’s a tad concerning. My point is, please be sure it’s only vertigo .
I went to urgent care yesterday, and she sent me to the ER due to some hearing/visual disturbances I had also had, saying I should probably have an MRI. It was busy so doc came out to chat in the waiting room, instead of me going back into the ER rooms - told me about BPV and epley maneuver, decided to give me dramamine, a referral to ENT doc, and send me home. 🙃 Guess we'll see how this all pans out.
I have been diagnosed with benign positional vertigo. From time to time if I go to the left I get this, usually in bed but if I'm stressed it kicks in no matter where I am or what I'm doing. You may want to get checked by an audiologist to see if you have vertigo. The epley maneuver is something that you can, once you learn it, do at home. In my case, it never worked 100% or for any length of time. I just live with vertigo and, when something causes it to kick in, I sit and wait for it to pass.
It really is an inner ear issue where the crystals get misplaced so what you have to do is tilt your head all the way back and all the way forward until those crystals go back in place. It’s a brutal exercise in a can make you nauseous, but it also works. I deal with vertigo. Quite a bit in the last four years. It’s best done sitting on the floor on your knees
So the pronounced vertigo is no longer occurring, but I am still feeling dizzy and now I am getting migraine headache as well. I think in his hurried diagnosis (which was just a few hurried questions, and having me do some checks for stroke) he missed that it is more likely vestibular migraine than BPPV.
About a week or so ago I had visual aura for the first time in 6 years or so. It used to always be followed by migraine headache, but it was not this time. And for the last 3 days all day along with the vertigo and dizziness - I had that after migraine feeling, where it kind of feels like you’re in a dream? Not sure how to explain but migraine sufferers will understand. But now last night I developed a migraine headache, a familiar sort of pain - though I haven’t had one in a very long time. And I’m still feeling quite dizzy.
So it seems after many years my migraines have returned - longer in duration and with new symptoms. Years ago my migraines would always start with aura, and if I took ibuprofen and caffeine immediately and took a nap, I would wake up with after migraine feeling but no headache. If I did not do this process fast enough, I would get the headache, and it would last probably 8 hours or so. Around the time of my last migraines all those years ago they had also escalated to causing me to vomit.. then at some point they just stopped completely.
This one has been ongoing since Sunday morning! I have never had migraine that would last this long. Happy birthday to me 🤣
My friend had something like this. She was told it was crystals in her inner ear. The gp gave her some exercises which helped. You must ask to see gp.
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Severe arthritic pain but can't take ibuprofen. What pain relief is an option?
How do you feel when in AF?
Fast heartbeats and flutter do not react to medication
Returning for a 2nd cardio version tomorrow 10/20/2017.
