If your vertigo is caused by displaced inner ear crystals, the condition is called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). In BPPV, tiny calcium carbonate crystals move into the wrong part of the inner ear, causing brief episodes of spinning when you change your head position.
The most effective treatment is not medication—it’s a series of head and body movements called canalith repositioning maneuvers, which guide the crystals back where they belong. The most common is the Epley maneuver, but the correct maneuver depends on which ear and which balance canal is affected.
A healthcare professional can:
- Confirm that BPPV is the cause of your dizziness.
- Determine which ear is affected.
- Perform or teach the appropriate repositioning maneuver.
Many people experience significant improvement after one or a few treatments, although symptoms can recur.
To reduce symptoms while recovering:
- Move slowly when getting out of bed or looking up.
- Use handrails or support if you’re unsteady.
- Stay well hydrated.
- Avoid driving or climbing if you’re having active vertigo.
You should seek prompt medical care if your dizziness is accompanied by:
- Weakness or numbness on one side
- Difficulty speaking
- Double vision
- Severe headache
- Chest pain
- Fainting
- Continuous vertigo lasting many hours with new neurological symptoms
Those symptoms may indicate something more serious than BPPV.
If you describe your symptoms, I can help you judge whether they sound like BPPV. For example:
- Is the spinning triggered by rolling over in bed, looking up, or bending down?
- Does each episode last less than a minute, or much longer?
- Do you have hearing loss, ringing in the ears, or ear pain?
