It has been a while since I have covered this subject. In the beginning of 2021, I had my first bout with vertigo and let me tell you, it is bad. I have been doing really well with some smaller spells once in a while. This past week, I had another really bad vertigo attack. I was able to stop the spinning and not get sick by sitting down and hyperfocusing on one object. I figure it was worth the try. After the room spun counterclockwise for a bit, it actually stopped. Then I did the Epley maneuver (more on that below).

So what is vertigo? From the dictionary; a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height, or caused by disease affecting the inner ear or the vestibular nerve; giddiness. As always, please have your doctor properly diagnose you but causes of vertigo can be and are not limited to:

• Loosening of tiny crystals in your inner or also called BPPV = benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
• Meniere’s disease: caused by a buildup of pressure and fluid in inner ears.
• Migraine headaches
• Viral or bacterial infection in the ear
• Tinnitus: ringing in the ears

Symptoms can be:

• Spinning
• Tilting
• Swaying
• Unbalanced
• Pulled to one direction
• Feeling nauseated
• Vomiting
• Abnormal eye movements
• Headache
• Sweating
• Ringing in ears

Again, you should have your doctor diagnose you first. They might prescribe vestibular rehabilitation through physical therapy for the vestibular system. The vestibular system sends signals to the brain about head and body movements relative to gravity. As I mentioned above, the Epley maneuver has helped me when I was struggling with vertigo.

• Step one: Sit on bed and turn head to the side affected. To find out which side is affected, lie on your back with head reclined and turn to one side for 30 seconds. The side where the room spins is the side affected. Mine is the left, so I will start from the left. If your right is affected, do the opposite. Start by turning your head to left about 45 degrees for 30 seconds.

• Step two: Quickly lie on back where your shoulders are on a pillow so head is reclined, keeping your head turned towards left for 30 seconds.

• Step three: Turn head towards to right for 30 seconds.

• Step four: Turn your body towards that side (right) and lie there for 30 seconds. Sit up from the right side.

You can do these three times per day. However, before you do anything, get a proper diagnosis from your doctor first.

Ester H. Marsh is associate executive director and director of healthy living at J.F. Hurley Family YMCA.