Vertigo is a common health complaint that affects nearly 40% of American adults. Notably, it’s quite common among aging individuals, with over 70 percent saying that they experience disorienting spinning sensations at least once in their lifetime. But why exactly does this happen? What makes seniors prone to balance problems? Furthermore, what vertigo remedies can provide desirable results for older patients? Let’s tackle the answer to these questions with the help of our list of must-know facts about dizziness and vertigo in aging adults.
Aging often leads to the gradual deterioration of the inner ear and neck bone structure. Unknown to many people, the neck and inner ears play an active role in maintaining balance and sensing the body’s movements and orientation to the surroundings. When either of the two works correctly, patients become highly susceptible to vertigo or spinning sensations.
Vertigo rarely occurs without its accompanying symptoms. As a patient with recurring vertigo episodes, you might find it helpful to keep track of the symptoms you experience to pinpoint the underlying health problem you have.
Additionally, you can prevent unwanted emergencies and injuries by knowing the accompanying symptoms. Here’s a short list of things you should look out for during an episode:
Vertigo has two types: central and peripheral. While they cause similar effects, they have varying origins. If your spinning sensation stems from the central type, you might have a brain or spine problem. On the one hand, if you have the peripheral type, you likely suffer from a vestibular issue like Meniere’s or BPPV.
It’s crucial to note that vertigo attacks have many triggers and risk factors. Besides aging and the gradual deterioration of various organs or systems used to detect balance and movement changes, you should also lookout for the following things:
Being forgetful in the elderly is common, and some of them may forget even the basic things such as keeping themselves hydrated. Dizziness when dehydrated is common, and a glass of water can work wonders in your dizziness.
As you age, there might be an inevitable need for medications, especially for maintenance, and sadly these maintenance medications can bring dizziness as one of the most common side effects. Blood pressure medication is one of the most common causes of dizziness. Quitting your prescription is not an option. Instead, it is important to raise these concerns to your doctor as soon as possible.
Low iron levels can lead to anemia, with dizziness as one of its common symptoms. However, a simple blood test done by your doctor can determine if you are anemic. Once confirmed, you may get a prescription for iron supplements to normalize your blood levels, eliminating dizziness.
Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia can happen if you have irregular eating schedules. In addition, people diagnosed with diabetes may often deal with low blood sugar as they become too concerned with increasing their blood sugar levels.
This rare vestibular disorder commonly causes vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss in one ear, and a feeling of pressure inside the ear. Additionally, some patients note that they have nausea, dizziness, and unlevelled gait. Back then, only a few Americans get diagnosed with Meniere’s mainly because of the lack of standardized tests and the condition’s strong similarities to other health complaints. But nowadays, more and more people are aware of Meniere’s and its symptoms encouraging the scientific community to look into new vertigo remedies.
People must be aware that dizziness can also be linked to a heart attack or stroke that requires emergency care. Knowing the signs of a heart attack or brainstem ischemia (stroke) can save your life and prevent unwanted side effect.
Suppose you have recently experienced an accident that led to trauma, particularly in the head or neck. In that case, you might experience dizziness and spinning sensations within the next few minutes, hours, days, or even weeks. If not, you should continue looking out for the symptoms later in life.
Upper cervical spine misalignments are quite common. Sadly, not many people know about it until they start having debilitating problems such as vertigo attacks.
You may not be aware of this because it usually causes very minimal pain at first. You may even think the injury did not affect you. But, as the neck’s altered curvature takes a toll on your overall posture, various organs suffer. You also develop problems such as:
Aging is difficult, but you can navigate life in the best of health with proper care and guidance. Seeking vertigo remedies is not random. There are many natural and effective ways to deal with vertigo, such as:
If the known and easy-to-do vertigo remedies do not work anymore, perhaps it’s time to talk to an upper cervical chiropractor. Whether you’re in your 60s and above or just hit your early to mid-40s, we strongly suggest trying upper cervical care. Years worth of trauma and wear and tear of the body may be the unknown link to the dizziness and vertigo you experience.
Upper cervical chiropractors provide precise and gentle adjustments for patients of all ages. Suppose you don’t know where to find a licensed upper cervical chiropractor. In that case, you can browse our directory to locate neck doctors specializing in unique techniques such as NUCCA, Blair, Orthospinology, Atlas Orthogonal, and more.
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The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
