You had a long day at work, so you want nothing more than to lay down in bed and relax. However, as soon as you attempt to lay your head on the pillow, a debilitating bout of dizzying spells and spinning sensation hits you. You find yourself crying and feeling frustrated after realizing that it happened because you have BPPV. This vestibular disorder has been bugging you for years, but you can’t seem to find a way to resolve it. You’ve tried countless remedies for dizziness and vertigo but failed to experience lasting results. 

So what are you doing wrong? More importantly, what can you do to fix the problem? Let’s take a deeper dive into these topics and why you feel dizzy when you lie down in our blog post.

Why Lying Down Causes Discomfort to BPPV Patients

BPPV or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is among the reasons why patients see upper cervical care doctors, neurologists, and other healthcare professionals. It’s a widespread concern that affects millions. It also accounted for over 5.6 million clinic visits in the USA back in 2017.

Doctors define BPPV as a vestibular system malfunction that stems from dislodged calcium crystals or otoliths. The spinning sensations or false sense of movements occurs every time you move or tilt your head. This includes lying down or getting out of bed.

If you have BPPV, you should practice simple self-care techniques to minimize the impact of your symptoms. Some of these tactics include the following:

• Avoid making sudden head movements
• During a vertigo attack, stay in a quiet, calm, and dark room.
• Sit when you feel dizzy and wait for the vertigo episode to stop
• When getting out of your bed, make it a habit to sit up slowly before standing and walking
• Practice relaxation exercises during an attack to avoid getting stressed out or anxious
• Skip chores or work tasks like lifting heavy machinery when you start feeling dizzy

Dizziness is Not the Same with Vertigo Attacks

If you noticed in the discussion, we referred to dizziness and vertigo as two different symptoms. That’s because many of the patients think that these two refer to the same things. So here are some quick facts to help you distinguish these very similar health problems:

• Dizziness makes you feel off-balance, so you have a hard time moving around.
• Vertigo causes your brain to detect false movements, so you feel that you or your surroundings are spinning.  
• Dizziness can result from various things like stroke, low blood sugar, and poor blood flow.
• Vertigo often gets triggered by a vestibular defect (BPPV, inner ear infection, and Meniere’s disease) or a central nervous system problem (tumors, stroke, multiple sclerosis, etc.)

Because they’re not the same, you will need to tap into varying remedies to get rid of them. We strongly recommend getting an accurate medical diagnosis before you begin seeking relief options so you can find an approach that will work for you.

What Remedies for Dizziness Work for BPPV Patients?

There are various remedies for dizziness that apply to BPPV patients. One example is the head position maneuver or canalith repositioning. This approach aims to help the displaced calcium crystals get back to their original position or at least remove them in areas of the ears that detect movement changes.

Besides this remedy, here are other options you can try to alleviate your BPPV symptoms:

• Using gentamicin injection - A study found gentamicin injection helpful in reducing vertigo attacks. The researchers recommend using low dosages of the injectable medication to achieve desirable results. 
• Psychotherapy -  If your dizzying spells and vertigo attacks seem to get worse because of pre-existing anxiety disorders, we recommend trying psychotherapy.
• Taking vestibular suppressants – Sometimes, vestibular malfunction aggravates dizzying spells and vice versa. That’s why some doctors recommend taking vestibular suppressants such as antihistamines, anticholinergics, and benzodiazepines.
• Addressing Vitamin D deficiency – A 2013 study notes that Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem among patients diagnosed with BPPV. That’s why some patients take Vitamin D to combat their symptoms. 
• Improving your sleep hygiene – Some patients with BPPV have a hard time sleeping or staying asleep. If this sounds like you, then we suggest working on your sleep hygiene. Here are some tips you can try:
  • Follow a consistent sleeping pattern
  • Schedule a 30-minute downtime before going to bed
  • Dim the lights and unplug from your devices
  • Find a relaxation method that suits you
  • Avoid tossing and turning to minimize dizziness and spinning sensations

One of the Most Effective BPPV Relief Options

Without a doubt, upper cervical care is among the top go-to remedies for dizziness and vertigo. It helps patients experience relief by making minor adjustments to the C1 and C2 neck bones. If you frequently have dizzying spells when you attempt to lie down or wake up, we highly recommend consulting with an upper cervical chiropractic doctor. 

You likely have misaligned neck bones, a potential reason behind the signal interference between your brain and the organs in charge of detecting balance and motion changes. Unfortunately, this is a common issue that often gets overlooked because many patients don’t know that they have cervical subluxations.   

This might be the same case for your dizzying spells, or BPPV symptoms, so we suggest scheduling an appointment with a nearby upper cervical chiropractor. By getting diagnosed, you can find out what’s going on with your vestibular function and if upper cervical chiropractic might be the solution you need to eliminate your symptoms. 

Feel free to schedule your consultation with a local neck chiropractor today to learn more about your BPPV symptoms and options for remedy.

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