Anyone craving an energetic buzz to help withstand long work hours is no stranger to drinking coffee, tea, hot cocoa, soda, chocolate bar, and other caffeinated treats. After all, caffeine is one of the most widely available stimulants in the market today. Unfortunately, its highly addictive nature makes it easy for people to become dependent and develop caffeine tolerance. Additionally, it can cause problems for some individuals, especially those diagnosed with Meniere’s disease. 

Find out more about the connection between worse bouts of Meniere’s disease symptoms and excessive caffeine intake, plus the benefits of seeking an atlas bone adjustment below.

Meniere’s Disease: A Quick Review

Meniere’s isn’t a common diagnosis, but it’s among the usual triggers of vertigo attacks. Essentially, this clinical syndrome affects the vestibular system – the group of organs inside the ears that help detect head movements and maintain balance. It causes spontaneous spinning sensations accompanied by hearing loss, stuffy ears, and tinnitus.

Studies have examined the connection between Meniere’s disease symptoms and caffeine use or abstention. However, the findings presented by research papers are sparse and a bit conflicting.

Effects of Caffeine Intake on the Body

Caffeine is one of the most frequently consumed psychoactive ingredients worldwide. It stimulates the central nervous system as soon as it gets absorbed into the bloodstream – roughly taking no more than 45 minutes. One of the reasons why people love consuming caffeine is its ability to boost cognitive performance, alertness, and auditory and visual vigilance. Sometimes, it also comes in handy for managing fatigue. 

However, caffeine consumption also comes with a few drawbacks. Some of these include: 

• Spiked heart rate and blood pressure
• Higher fatty acid content in the bloodstream
• Increased vasoconstriction in the head
• Increased gastric activity
• Increased risks for hydrops (fluid buildup), dizziness, and tinnitus 
• Abnormal influx of neurotransmitters, sending confusing signals to the brain and the organs involved in balance and proprioception. 

Additionally, extra caffeine doses can affect fluid and electrolyte balance due to the diuretic nature of the substance. This leads to inner ear instability that can set off spontaneous vertigo attacks. Due to the effects of caffeine on the body, many healthcare practitioners, including those that provide an atlas bone adjustment, advise against caffeine consumption.

Helpful Tips to Curb Your Meniere’s Disease Symptoms

While there are plenty of reported cases of Meniere’s disease, it remains a largely misunderstood condition. A cure remains unavailable, so diagnosed patients rely on remedies and self-care techniques. Some of the best vertigo relief tips you can explore include: 

Manage or avoid your triggers

Certain factors can aggravate or prolong a vertigo attack. Notably, each person is different, so you may need to check our list of triggers and cross-reference your observations:  

• Food with high levels of tyramine (sauerkraut, kimchi, cured meats, aged cheeses, etc.)
• Fumes from cars or cleaners
• Air pressure changes (especially when traveling) 
• Temperature and humidity fluctuations
• Allergic reaction to pollen, dander, and other irritants
• Sudden head or body movements
• Stressful situations (physical overexertion, financial problems, death, divorce, etc.)

Keep tabs on your caffeine intake

As we established above, caffeinated beverages and other food products can cause adverse impacts on people with Meniere’s. So, it would help to limit your caffeine consumption. Here are examples of these products, along with the average amount of caffeine they have: 

• Coffee (1 cup contains up to 100 mg)
• Dark chocolate (124 mg in every 100 g)
• Green tea (1 cup has up to 30 to 50 mg)
• Energy drinks like Red Bull (up to 80 mg per serving)
• Soda (Approximately 8 mg per serving)
• Black tea (1 cup contains around 47 mg)

Consider atlas bone adjustments

Vertigo attacks due to Meniere’s disease can be pretty terrifying. They can also throw you off, mainly when the symptoms manifest at the most inopportune moment. Thankfully, you have many options to cope with and manage your symptoms. One example of which is an atlas bone adjustment. 

Studies on vertigo care show that the slightest changes in the atlas – the topmost neck bone – can set off a series of problems that contribute to vestibular problems like Meniere’s. Some notable examples of these issues include: 

• Brainstem compression – This affects the transmission of essential information, like your current movement or position, to and from the brain
• Unbalanced neck and shoulders – Unfortunately, postural imbalances can skew the alignment of the head and interfere with the normal function of organs in charge of detecting body movements
• Poor fluid drainage – The more fluid accumulates in the inner ear, the more discomfort your vestibular organs suffer. It can also affect the delicate balance of fluids in the inner ear.

You can potentially dampen your symptoms by receiving ample and tailored fit chiropractic adjustments to your atlas bone. Upper cervical care can also help you enjoy things you couldn’t because of persistent vertigo attacks. Hence, we strongly suggest exploring this option or combining it with other remedies for vertigo like canalith repositioning maneuvers.

Find Out if You Have a Misaligned Atlas Bone

Plenty of things can compromise your atlas bone alignment. For example, an accident involving your head or neck can force the atlas bone to shift out of place. Long hours sitting in front of your work desk without stretching can also put an immense mechanical strain on your spinal head and spinal column.

Thankfully, you can potentially fix the misalignment with the help of carefully planned neck bone adjustments. Upper cervical care has worked wonders for many individuals, even those with uncommon conditions like Meniere’s disease. 

We suggest booking an upper cervical chiropractic consultation if you want to know how you can live with lesser vertigo attacks. Feel free to locate a vertigo chiropractor near you using the Upper Cervical Awareness doctors directory. You may book your appointment or ask more about how upper cervical techniques like NUCCA, Blair, and Knee Chest chiropractic work.

to schedule a consultation today.