If you have been dealing with light sensitivity and vertigo, there is hope—a holistic care that can help you get back to your life as it was before these symptoms started. If you’re wondering what it is, then, read on! This post aims to shed light on these sensitivities and the best way to address them.
Light Sensitivity Overview
Also known as photophobia or photosensitivity, it is a condition that causes a person to react strongly to light. People with light sensitivity may have a difficult time functioning in the daytime and are more comfortable in dimmer lighting. Light sensitivity can be caused by many different things, including:
- Migraine headaches
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Glaucoma
Vertigo Overview
Vertigo is a widespread symptom of a health condition. It’s often associated with dizziness and spinning sensations, nausea, vomiting, and imbalance. Although vertigo is most commonly associated with inner ear problems or your vestibular system.
The Structure of Your Vestibular System
The vestibular system (VS) is the one that controls one’s balance and eye movements as well as spatial orientation (the awareness of where you are in relation to your surroundings). This system is made up of three parts:
- The vestibule — the area behind your ear that contains two small chambers connected by tubes (called the semicircular canals) filled with fluid called endolymph.
- The saccule and utricle — two small sacs on either side that contain hair cells
- Three pairs of nerves connect these organs together:
- The inferior vestibular nerve pair travels through bone behind the ears.
- The middle meningeal artery supplies blood supply to the brainstem.
- The superior cerebellar branch carries information from reflex centers controlling body posture
How Light Sensitivity and Vertigo Are Linked
The two conditions are often linked because light sensitivity is one of the most common symptoms of vertigo. In fact, it’s estimated that up to a good percentage of people who have been diagnosed with this condition have some degree of light sensitivity as well.
What causes these two seemingly unrelated conditions? They both stem from a neurological condition called vestibular dysfunction (VD), which describes any disruption in your brain’s ability to process information about movement and balance. When this happens, you may feel dizzy when looking around or moving—even if you’re sitting still!
Some common triggers for VD include:
- Medications
- Head injuries
- Stress or anxiety
- Inner-ear infections like Meniere’s disease
- Caffeine consumption
- Menstruation
- Dehydration (due to alcohol consumption)
- Diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2
- Viral infections such as mononucleosis (mono) or hepatitis A/B/C/D/E
Certain Lights Trigger Vertigo
Fluorescent lights are often found in office buildings and retail stores. They have a long shelf life and are inexpensive to operate, so they’re very common. However, if you suffer from light sensitivity or vertigo, it’s important to know that fluorescent lights are a huge trigger to dizziness and vertigo. The symptoms of fluorescent light poisoning include headaches, nausea and vomiting, and of course, the spinning sensation of vertigo.
Mercury is a toxic element on Earth! It is present in many products used around us every day such as batteries, thermometers and fluorescent bulbs. Mercury vapor is especially dangerous because it has no odor or color, so you can’t tell when something has been exposed to mercury until severe damage has already occurred in your body.
Lights and Colors to Avoid If You Have Vertigo and Why
- Yellow and green lights are high-frequency lights for the eyes. They can cause headaches, nausea, and irritability.
- Blue light is another high-frequency color that should be avoided because it can cause fatigue and headaches in some people.
- Red light is also a high-frequency color that causes eye strain. If you have red eyes or feel like you’re looking through a foggy windshield when looking at red lights, this could be why!
- Flashing lights are not good for anyone with vertigo symptoms, so it’s best to avoid them as much as possible; nonetheless, if you do come across flashing colored lights (e.g., those on your phone), try closing one eye while using the other eye to view the screen instead of using both eyes simultaneously.
Upper Cervical Chiropractic Gets to the Bottom of Vertigo and Light Sensitivity
When your body is in balance, you feel great. You’re at your best and ready to take on the world. But when something throws that balance off, it can affect your entire life. When this happens, it’s important to get the right help as soon as possible so you can get back to feeling amazing again—and that’s where Upper Cervical Chiropractic comes in!
Upper Cervical Chiropractic is about restoring the body’s natural balance. In addition to relieving pain, it’s a holistic approach to health and wellness that helps patients achieve their optimal state of well-being through a variety of natural methods. Upper cervical adjustments restore proper joint function for improved joint range, motion, and blood flow, which in turn leads to better organ function.
For example, light sensitivity and vertigo can be caused by inflammation in the cervical spine (neck). A skilled chiropractor will perform a thorough examination to identify any misalignment in your neck region and make necessary adjustments so that you feel relief from symptoms such as light sensitivity or vertigo right away!
Hopefully, this read has shed some light on this topic so foreign to many. Vertigo can be difficult to diagnose and treat, especially if you don’t have a go-to chiropractor in your area who can help you in those moments when everything seems out of control. But there’s good news!
If you’re suffering from vertigo or its symptoms, such as alarming light sensitivity, you can find an Upper Cervical chiropractor near you! You can do this by checking out Upper Cervical Awareness for their comprehensive chiropractors’ directory.