Thousands of women key in the search engines query “what is vertigo?”. Studies attribute this trend to how vertigo affects women. Notably, irrespective of age and overall body condition, women tend to experience worse vertigo attacks than men. Have you ever wondered why this happens? How can women cope better with constant bouts of spinning sensations? Discover more about how vertigo episodes affect women as you read on.

What is Vertigo and How Does it Affect Women?

Vertigo or spinning sensation is a common consequence of a faulty vestibular system. However, it can sometimes stem from many health conditions, including inner ear infection and brainstem tumor growth. While it can affect every member of the population, a 2019 study notes that it leaves worse impacts on women. The study further shares that this might be due to the menstrual cycle and the frequent hormonal fluctuations in women. Here are additional vertigo facts and figures to help you understand the whole picture: 

• Estrogen can serve as an auditory protectant and a building block of inner ear receptors needed in detecting sound and equilibrium changes.
• Estrogen production and release reach their peaks twice during the menstrual cycle. The first one occurs while the follicle develops and matures, while the second surge happens just before ovulation. 
• Women who enter perimenopausal and menopausal stages experience a massive decrease in estrogen production. Sadly, studies note that these events increase risks for worse and more frequent vertigo episodes. 
• Low estrogen levels can cause minor disturbances in the inner ears, especially in women diagnosed with Meniere’s disease.  
• Estrogen fluctuations can affect female patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Do you happen to know someone who frequently experiences vertigo attacks? Or are you a woman with vertigo-causing conditions or hormonal fluctuations due to aging?

What to Do When You Experience Vertigo Attacks 

Now that you are a bit acquainted with the explanation regarding the question “what is vertigo?” we believe it’s equally important to understand how to manage the symptom. This can help reduce the impact of vertigo in your usual routine and ensure that it doesn’t take over your life. Below are a few common remedies that many women seek when they suddenly feel lightheaded or when their surroundings appear to spin.

Hormonal therapy replacement

Some women who experience severe vertigo attacks due to perimenopause or menopause try hormone therapy replacement. Most hormonal replacement pills contain female hormones like estrogen. As a result, they might come in handy in addressing the spinning sensations. If you have reached the sunset days of your sexual maturity and experience increased vertigo attacks, we strongly suggest consulting with your Ob-gyne doctor. This can help you decide whether to use hormonal replacement therapy. 

Stress management

Besides hormonal fluctuations, stress is also a leading trigger of worse spinning sensations. That’s why we suggest learning how to manage your stressors. Here are some exercises you can do to keep your mind and body in a relaxed and calmed condition:

• Learn yoga breathing
• Accept things you can’t change
• Schedule regular jogs or walks
• De-stress by unplugging from work 
• Avoid excessive social media exposure
• Schedule enough time to pamper yourself
• Explore new things (hobbies, places, skills, etc.)
• Take better care of your body and avoid vertigo-causing diseases
• Talk to a professional to help you unravel your thoughts

Healthy eating

Diet plays a role in the onset of vertigo attacks. It can also worsen or improve vertigo-causing conditions like Meniere’s, BPPV, and inner ear infections. As a rule of thumb, you should limit the consumption of any food or drinks that can stimulate water reabsorption. Examples of these include food rich in sodium and food additives. Besides these, you should also mind your caffeinated and alcoholic drinks intake. Studies have long established that these two can worsen vertigo attacks, regardless of the sex or pre-existing health problem. 

Epley maneuver

Many patients diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo use the Epley Maneuver to cope. Essentially, this remedy encourages patients to tilt their heads in the direction which triggers the dizzying sensations. This helps retrain the vestibular system and boost the displaced otoliths to return to their original location. We strongly advise doing the Epley Maneuver under the supervision of a therapist. This way, you can do the steps safely, avoid complications, and increase your chances of eliminating the root cause of your episodes.  

Upper cervical care

Many people looking for answers to queries like “what is vertigo?” have come across upper cervical chiropractic. That’s because upper cervical chiropractic has established an impressive reputation as an effective source of vertigo relief. It uses gentle chiropractic adjustments to correct postural imbalances that interfere with normal brain and inner ear function.

Women of all ages and backgrounds have tried seeking upper cervical care for vertigo relief. Notably, most women who have tapped into this remedy have a previous history of neck trauma. This happens because the intense blow to the neck can force the cervical bones to slide away from their natural alignment. The misaligned bones can cause a series of problems ranging from slow fluid drainage in the inner ears and pressure to the brainstem and vestibulocochlear nerve. 

By choosing to receive precise and gentle neck bone adjustments, you can relieve the pressure in your brain, brainstem, and balance organs. In addition, the slow and gradual adjustments allow you to retrain your spine and maintain neutral vertebral bone alignment.  

If you share a similar story or wish to address your spinning sensations the best way possible, we suggest locating the nearest upper cervical chiropractic clinic.

to schedule a consultation today.