Dizziness, spinning, and falling down are all symptoms of a condition called vertigo. If you suffer from these symptoms, you might be concerned that vertigo can hamper your sleep. To help you determine any relation between sleep and vertigo, check out this information about these seemingly distant disorders. It turns out vertigo and sleep have more in common than you realized.

Understanding Vertigo

Vertigo is more than just a famous movie made by Alfred Hitchcock. This condition causes you to feel extreme dizziness and a spinning sensation within your mind. You can even fall down as a result of serious vertigo, which can lead to dangerous accidents and additional injuries.

As for what causes vertigo, the Mayo Clinic states that benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause. With BPPV, individuals have brief dizzy spells. The trigger for BPPV is a sudden movement of the head, such as when you sit down or turn your head. Treatment for BPPV is available at a doctor’s office, and can help you to avoid episodes of vertigo.

Falling Asleep With Vertigo

If you experience dizziness when you lie down to sleep, your vertigo could cause problems when going to sleep or getting up in the morning. To reduce the concern, take these precautions for sleeping with vertigo:

• Set a bedtime routine that allows your mind and body to reach a restful state before your head hits the pillow.
• Limit caffeine and alcohol for eight hours before bedtime.
• Shut down your electronic devices when you go to bed.
• Take a warm bath or shower to help you relax and unwind.
• Consider using essential oils including lavender on your pillow or in a humidifier.

Stick to your routine every night of the week, even on the weekend, so your body can fully adjust for best results. You should also create a set bedtime and wake-up time as part of your bedtime routine. This prepares your body to naturally wake up rested every day, so you can be less likely to experience an episode of vertigo.

Sleep Disorders and Vertigo

One sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, may be connected to vertigo. Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder in which the throat closes and the airways are blocked when a person is sleeping. This causes the sufferer to stop breathing while they are asleep, which is frightening and deadly.

According to a study by the University of Palermo in Italy, as reported by the National Institute of Health, individuals with sleep apnea are more likely to suffer from vertigo. The reason is that when you are fatigued due to chronic sleep loss, the symptoms of vertigo are exacerbated. You are overly sensitive to light and sound, which is related to your inner ear.

To better understand this, if you experience motion sickness then this is caused by having an overly sensitive inner ear. When you take motion sickness tablets, this reduces the sensitivity, along with the dizziness associated with it.

Importance of Sleep With Vertigo

Since fatigue can lead to vertigo, it is important to get a good night’s sleep each night. By following these sleep tips and incorporating them into your sleep routine, you can help combat the onset of dizziness. Your vertigo will be in check throughout the day, all thanks to improving your sleep routine.