Dizziness is a condition that often causes the sufferer to feel dizzy, off-balance, or as if everything around them is moving, even when they are not. This is a common symptom in many disorders involving the vestibular system, nerves, and inner ear. People with dizziness often describe the feeling as “unsteady on their feet,” “being pulled away,” or “lightheaded.”
In addition to feeling dizzy, dizziness can also be accompanied by other symptoms such as:
- Nausea or vomiting: due to the brain receiving conflicting information from the inner ear, eyes, and body sensations.
- Loss of balance when walking, making it easy to stumble.
- Lightheadedness or a feeling of emptiness in the head.
- Cold sweats, numbness in the limbs, or palpitations.
- Temporary visual disturbances, such as blurred vision or a feeling of blurred vision.
A particularly common form of dizziness is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This condition often occurs when changing head position, such as when lying down, turning in bed or looking up. Therefore, sleep can become one of the times when symptoms get worse if you are not careful.
How to sleep when dizzy
Adjusting your sleeping position and how you move before bed can help reduce or prevent vertigo, especially when it is caused by an inner ear disorder like BPPV.
Here are some simple but effective tips:
1. Keep your movements slow
When you have vertigo, any rapid movements of your head or body can cause a severe feeling of imbalance. So, perform movements such as lying down or sitting up slowly and in a controlled manner. Avoid sitting up or turning suddenly in bed. It takes a few seconds for your brain to adjust after each movement, so give it time.
2. Elevate your head
Elevating your head about 45 degrees while sleeping can help reduce positional vertigo. You can use a pillow under your upper back and neck to create a suitable tilt. This position helps reduce the sudden movement of fluid in the inner ear, which can stimulate the vestibular system. In addition, sleeping with your head elevated also helps blood circulation and reduces the feeling of heaviness in the head in the morning.
3. Sleep with the unaffected ear facing down
If you have vertigo in one ear, avoid lying on your side. When the affected ear faces down, the change in gravity can cause small particles in the inner ear to move, triggering vertigo. Lie on your unaffected side or lie on your back with your head slightly tilted to reduce stimulation to the affected ear.
4. Avoid activities that make vertigo worse
Before going to bed, avoid activities that can further stimulate the nervous system and disrupt the sense of balance. Reading, using your phone or watching TV while lying down can cause you to turn your head a lot or look at bright lights, which is not good when you have dizziness. In addition, bright lights from electronic devices can also increase feelings of nausea or disorientation.
In short, when dizziness occurs at night or while sleeping, it can seriously affect the quality of sleep and daily activities. Understanding the causes, symptoms and how to adjust your sleeping position is important to control this condition. If home remedies do not improve or dizziness occurs frequently, you should see an ENT or neurologist for timely diagnosis and treatment.
