For those that suffer from vertigo, it can feel as though the world is constantly at a different tilt than their own. The constant dizziness is a symptom of many medical maladies. The most common one is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, also known as BPPV.
When someone with BPPV undergoes a moment of vertigo, they are suffering false signals from the inner ear. This falsity manifests in feelings of dizziness, spinning, and the sensation that the world is moving around you.
Luckily, many who live with vertigo have found that they can combat the dizziness through adopting regular compensation exercises. This article will divulge a few easy exercises that can help ignore false sensations from the inner ear and stabilize against the sensations of vertigo.
Epley Maneuver
Created by Dr. John Epley, the Epley maneuver is a small exercise that rights any imbalances within the inner ear. Although this exercise is meant to be administered by a physical therapist or registered nurse, it is possible to do a form of this exercise at home.
Begin the maneuver by sitting on a bed. Turn your head 45 degrees to whichever side has the inner ear malady. After making this turn, you must now lie back, maintaining the direction of your head. If you’ve done it correctly, your shoulders should be making contact with the bed, and your head should be in a reclined position. Hold this position for a few breath cycles, or 30 seconds.
Now, without raising your face, turn your head 90 degrees in the opposite direction. Hold this position for another 30 seconds. After the elapsed time, you can turn your head in that direction another 90 degrees. Hold this position for 30 seconds before sitting up on the bed.
Brandt-Daroff Exercise
The Brandt-Daroff exercise is another great exercise for combatting the sensations of vertigo. You should start the exercise sitting upright on a bed or bench: it needs to be something you can comfortably recline on!
Begin the exercise by moving from the seated position to a lying down position. You will want to point your nose upwards, at about a 45 degree angle. Hold this position until the bout of vertigo subsides. Then return to your original seated position, and repeat on the other side. This helps train your brain to begin ignoring the false signals from the inner ear.
If you have questions about vertigo and balance exercises, contact a nursing care specialist for more information.
