Anxiety is among the most common emotions of people with balance disorders, especially when they have an episode. Unfortunately, when they feel anxious and stressed out, their symptoms get even worse. They experience increased discomfort and have a harder time coping. Have you ever wondered why this often happens? What’s the connection between anxiety and dizziness? Is it possible to resolve both symptoms with a single healing approach?

Anxiety and Balance Disorders

Balance problems like dizziness and chronic vertigo develop because of an inner ear defect. That’s because the ear (specifically the inner portion) takes charge of perceiving balance and movement besides helping you process sound stimuli.

Unfortunately, this function sometimes becomes impaired due to certain factors like aging, infection, and cervical misalignment. The defect then triggers varying symptoms ranging from spinning sensations to permanent hearing loss. 

In most cases, the symptoms appear out of the blue. Sometimes they happen while you’re walking on the street, talking to a friend over the phone, or running errands at the grocery. This unpredictability makes it all the more difficult to manage. That’s why it can quickly lead to the development of mental health problems like anxiety or panic attacks.

Anxiety Can Lead to Intensified Dizziness or Vertigo

The worst part about having anxiety attacks when you already have balance disorders is the intensified symptoms. Studies explain that it has something to do with the negative feedback loop created by anxiety. In other words, it multiplies your suffering and leaves a severe impact on your overall health. 

So, if you want to take better control of your anxiety and dizziness, you must find a better way to manage your emotions. You can start by practicing relaxation techniques or seeking counseling. You might also find it helpful to try the following anxiety management tactics: 

• Breathe in and out slowly – Try to deliberately slow down your breathing when you begin to notice symptoms of an impending vertigo episode.

• Stop overthinking – Focus on the moment and avoid thinking of terrible situations that haven’t occurred yet. To do this, you can consider practicing meditation tactics. 

• Keep track of your triggers – It might help to keep a detailed log of your anxiety attacks. This way, you can pinpoint potential triggers and find better ways to cope or manage them. 

• Relax your muscles – What better way to ease the tension in your body and mind than to relax your muscles. Try doing progressive muscle relaxation at least a few times each week.

• Take anxiety medication – You might find it helpful to try anxiety medication, especially if you have chronic symptoms. Consult with your physician to know your best option.

• Make exercise a regular part of life – Exercising when you have vertigo-causing conditions like BPPV can be pretty challenging. However, it’s not an impossible feat. You can try doing simple movements like walking to keep your body physically active. 

A Closer Look at Vertigo Attacks

Besides anxiety, stress, and panic attacks, vertigo episodes can also be due to other diseases and disorders. A few examples of these include the following:

• Meniere’s disease – It’s a vestibular disorder that develops when you have an abnormal amount of fluids inside your inner ear.
• BPPV – Studies refer to it as the leading cause of vertigo in the world. It is also a balance disorder that occurs when the calcium crystals in the inner ear migrate into places they shouldn’t be in.
• Acoustic neuroma – While acoustic neuroma only occurs in 1 out of 100,000 patients a year, it’s a severe problem that can lead to impaired vestibular function. Fortunately, patients can manage their tumor growth through radiation or microsurgical excision. 
• Inner ear infection – When the inner ear gets infected, you become at risk of developing vertigo symptoms. The inflammation or irritation inside your inner ears can disrupt communication between your brain and the vestibular system, resulting in confusion or false detection of movements. 
• Cervical misalignment – A car accident or sports injury can cause cervical subluxation or neck bone shifting. Unfortunately, if your neckbones shifted, your brainstem can become irritated and fail to function correctly. 

It might help to determine which among the problems we listed above caused your vertigo attacks. This way, you can find a more suitable approach to correcting the issue or managing your symptoms. 

Relieving Anxiety and Dizziness with Upper Cervical Chiropractic

It’s hard to keep anxiety and dizziness separate from each other. And sadly, being constantly on the lookout for a possible flare-up can take a toll on your mental well-being. That’s why it’s best to look for a remedy that promises long-term relief. Otherwise, you will find yourself trapped in a vicious cycle of anxiety attacks, dizziness, vertigo, and other vestibular problems. 

One remedy you can tap into is called upper cervical chiropractic. It’s a unique and highly focused approach to healing which involves making slight adjustments to the cervical spine alignment. As a result, you can slowly get rid of symptoms like dizzying spells or spinning sensations with restored spinal health.

All you need is to get your neck bones checked by an upper cervical care doctor and wait until you complete your chiropractic adjustments. The procedure is gentle and precise. Studies have also proven its effectiveness in helping people who suffered a long time because of vertigo attacks.  

Want to know more about how you can manage anxiety and dizziness with upper cervical care? Call a local upper cervical chiropractic practice today and schedule your consultation!

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