If you’ve seen a doctor and your chronic dizziness can’t be explained medically, check out the American Institute of Balance and the Vestibular Disorders Association to find a vestibular therapist or functional neurologist either near you or who offers telehealth services.
Meanwhile, there are several ways you can support your own healing, including with these expert recommendations:
1. Learn more. “The No. 1 thing you can do once you’ve got medical clearance is educate yourself on why this is just a software issue in your brain,” says Arthur. With some brain retraining, your neural circuitry can be rebooted.
2. Engage in gentle movement. Schmoe has designed a neurobic workout that helps activate your cerebellum and rewire neurons. It can also help with balance, coordination, and physical control. (Find Schmoe’s neurobic workout at “The Neurobic Workout.”)
3. Try somatic tracking. This mindfulness practice teaches your brain that your dizziness is not dangerous to you. Arthur offers guided practices on her YouTube channel, The Steady Coach.
4. Tend to your stress. Stress can trigger sustained chronic dizziness. To break the cycle, find a practice to ground yourself in the present and create emotional space from your stressors so you can respond more calmly. (For a helpful stress-relief technique, visit “What is EFT and How Does it Work?“)
5. Reduce brain inflammation. For many of his dizziness patients, Schmoe recommends nutritional supplements to help reduce brain inflammation and improve blood flow to the head. He suggests magnesium L-threonate, glutathione, vinpocetine, fatty acids, and ginkgo, as well as curcumin and resveratrol, which may support blood-brain barrier integrity.
6. Manage your blood sugar. Your inner ear responds to fluctuations in blood sugar, says Schmoe. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), and insulin resistance are among the most frequent causes of balance disorders.
7. Get sufficient vitamin D. Chronic dizziness is sometimes correlated with vitamin D deficiency. In one study, vitamin D–deficient patients with BPPV who received 50,000 IU of weekly supplemental vitamin D3, combined with physical therapy, experienced reduced symptoms that were sustained for at least six months.
8. Give your eyes a break. Completely avoiding visually stimulating environments can perpetuate the cycle of anxiety and symptoms, but taking occasional breaks from screens and other visually overwhelming stimuli can be helpful.
9. Try the home Epley maneuver. If you have been diagnosed with BPPV, your practitioner can teach you a method called the Epley maneuver to treat yourself at home. Both Arthur and Schmoe recommend against performing it without a diagnosis and training.
Restore Your Balance
Dizziness disorders, including vertigo, often occur without a clear cause — and when they persist, they can seriously hamper quality of life. Mind-body methods might hold the key to recovery. Learn more at “How to Recover From Vertigo and Inexplicable Dizziness,” from which this article was excerpted.
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