Are you in or someone you love in need of vertigo relief?
You may think that vertigo is just a feeling of dizziness that happens when someone glances down from a very high place.
But vertigo refers to a specific type of dizziness that can happen to you anywhere, even sitting if you are sitting perfectly still at sea level.
Vertigo Definition
According to WebMD, Vertigo is a sensation of feeling off balance. If you have these dizzy spells, you might feel like you are spinning or that the world around you is spinning.
Symptoms of Vertigo
Anyone who has ever experienced vertigo knows it can have a crippling effect, causing the sufferer to feel dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous, vomiting and a loss of balance.
What Causes Vertigo?
Vertigo can be triggered by a variety of problems involving the ear, the brain, or the sensory nerve pathways. And it can make the smallest movement of the head or body feel distressing.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV can be the cause. This disorder is caused by a head injury, prior damage to your inner ear or simply occur among people who are older.
When a small crystal (calcified otolith) becomes dislodged and is found loosely moving around in the fluid of the semicircular ear canals this will trick your brain into thinking head movement occurred, even though no movement has happened, thus causing the symptoms of vertigo.
Natural Remedies for Vertigo Relief
Common remedies such as head exercises or short-term use of prescription medications can be effective, but medications have side-effects and head exercises have to be done regularly for ongoing relief.
Now there is an easy, at-home treatment that has proved to be successful at treating vertigo. The “half somersault maneuver” was developed by Dr. Carol Foster, and since she went public with her method on YouTube, her video has been viewed over 2.5 million times.
The Half Somersault Remedy
- Kneel on the floor and look up at the ceiling
- Look down and bend over as if about to do a somersault
- Remain in that position and turn your head to look at your left elbow until the dizziness stops
- After it stops, raise your head to back level. Be aware that this will cause the dizziness to occur and then stop again
- After dizziness is gone, sit up straight quickly.
It’s that simple, but this technique for relief from vertigo has made a big difference to people who suffer from this debilitating problem.
Sue Rickers suffered from episodes of vertigo for years without finding any effective relief. Sometimes the problem would last for days, but nothing helped other than waiting for the episode to pass naturally.
“I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t walk, I had to hold on to the wall,” Rickers remembers. “It was very, very scary.”
Then she found Dr. Rickers’ video and decided to try it.
“It worked,” she said. “It worked the very first time!”
Vertigo Relief Technique
Did this vertigo relieve technique work for you?
Please let us know in the comments below.
William Morton says:
Vertigo
Terri says:
Does this work for Menieres Disease?
Sandra Kyner says:
No
Terry C Sims says:
Dr. Rickers method does work for some types of vertigo. However, I found that many times inflammation of auditory nerves can cause vertigo. I went on the AIP diet, and my inflamed auditory nerves are no longer inflamed. Plus, I no longer have vertigo. I hope this helps you.
roystoner says:
what is aip diet
Sara says:
What if you are unable to get on the ground?
Laura says:
My husbands physical therapist told him to use the bed.
Cheyanna Haley says:
I would like to know the same thing. Thats what i was diagnosed with
Cheyanna Haley says:
Does it work for ménière’s disease
G'ma Allie says:
This is specifically for those dislodged crystals. Sorry.
Jim says:
No, this is designed to reposition the crystal in BPPV which has moved to where it shouldn’t be.
In Meniere’s the cause is swelling due to excess fluid. There is no positional therapy which can relieve that.
From personal experience, sadly, you usually have to wait out the 1-2 hours (in my case) until you return to normal.
Nancy Keeling says:
I suffer with it, so did my mom
Cary Byrd says:
Have you tried Dr. Ricker’s “the half somersault” remedy yet? Did it work for you?
Judy Hollett says:
I am disabled from my fall and I’m unable to kneel down.
Is there another way it can be done.?
I have vertigo everyday. When I fell my head hit the osvenentb.
Everis Hough says:
The Eppley Maneuver is what I do for BPPV. Google it. I do it on the bed. It does help quite a bit as long as you first figure out which side the crystals are lose on. I do plan to try this one next time I have an episode.
Sheila says:
Check out the Epley manuever. It helps, but have to do more than once. When you first do it, you will think it is worse, but it does improve. My ENT doctor showed me how to do this. You can do it in your bed and you just roll on your sides. You can find instructions on the internet. Best wishes!
Jenny Smith says:
I was told by my doctor go with it. Stop fighting it It works! Think of it as rolling with the waves on a boat. Very skeptical but it worked. Good Luck!!
Terri Bruzewski says:
I have had vertigo my whole life it effects everything I do,I am now 45 what if I do these maneuvers and the dizziness doesn’t stop after 15 minutes do I just continue
Sheils says:
Terri, my physician recommends to do the Epley Maneuver once or twice,
3 or 4 times daily. My vertigo usually improves or stops after 24-48 hours. I take Meclizine or Antivert for the side effects of the vertigo. (You can purchase this over the counter).
I hope you can find relief and I am so sorry you have been dealing with it for so long. Best wishes.
Barbara Gibbs says:
When I have Vertigo, my ENT or pcp send me to my physical therapist to have the epley maneuver done. I would rather have a professional give me the treatment, than to try this myself. But if I have Vertigo on a weekend and can’t get to my PT, I’ll take for medicine nausea and try this at home.
Gail says:
Hmm, SOUNDS interesting except many people with hearing loss have vertigo, closed captioning would be a great benefit.
Joanne says:
I have had vertigo non stop for almost 3 years and have tried everything from epley to balance therapy to medications and then some. I just read this article and tried it. I think I feel a little better but can’t tell yet. Is this normal?? How often can I do this? I even put prisms in my glasses that were supposed to work and they didn’t! I’m beside myself
Gay says:
Check into Microvascular Compression Syndrome, I’ve been taking Verapamil, a blood pressure medication, for at least 15 years daily. I wouldn’t have been able to function without it.
Barbara cox says:
Thank you for actually sharing a helpful hint to anyone, and not expecting us to pay you for it…a true Doctors heart and humanitarian……
Rosemary Santner says:
Have fallen as well. Continue todo so but can’t quite figure out what is happening or when it willhappen again. I am not dizzy but do lose my balance on occasion
Lee Lepore says:
That is how mine is.
Christi says:
Would this help with tinnitis?
Joan Coates says:
My therapist did a version of this and it worked for me!
Douglas Hammond says:
Article needs a disclaimer for people to check with their Doctor first! As a heart patient this would be a major no no.
roger ackerman says:
do it for ringing in the ear ?
Alan says:
I am nearly 69yrs old, and have had Vertigo for about three months. For a few years previous it was what the doctor called “An inner ear infection”, which gave me instant sea sickness. Which after taking a couple of pills, usually cleared up in a couple of hours.
Vertigo is a whole different ball game. “In my experience”, doctors are not a lot of help, you need to see a specialist. I have been seeing a physio who has given me eye exercises to do, to improve my balance. Although it hasn’t yet stopped the vertigo attacks, they have become less severe. I have tried the Epily, but that really needs someone to help you. This maneuver doesn’t require any help. It will either work or it won’t, but there is no harm in trying.
Wayne Ennist says:
I woke up with the room spinning 2 years ago. The room doesn’t spin any more but I am still dizzy and lightheaded. I have been to 10 doctors and had many tests and maneuvers but no help. I will try this. Thank you.
Cary Byrd says:
Please also know that sometimes being dizzy could be a medication side effect. So if you take any medications be sure to look at all the possible side effects and talk with your doctor.
Karen says:
I have dizziness all the time, can’t drive, when I walk, I have to hold onto the walls. I have fallen on occasion from my dizziness, but I haven’t fallen in several months. I am seeing a neurologists, I fell at work several years ago, darn near ripped my ear off. But the audiologists that did the tests said that me hitting my head had nothing to do with it. I’ve been to physical therapy, and an audiologist now I’m going to a neurologist, just wish this dizziness would go away. I do walk with a cane so I can keep my balance. If I didn’t have this dizziness, I’d be fine. I have not been diagnosed with vertigo.
Daisy Mae says:
Ask your doctor about a veritgo patch that applies just behind the ear and keeps it at bay. My neighbor wears it and stays upright and ok but without it she’s on the floor howling from the dizziness. Sorry, cannot remember what the name of it is. Dr should know.
Shelley Squires says:
I have really bad vertigo attacks and when I try to do this maneuver my nausea increases and I vomit. I don’t know how anyone can do this when in the midst of a vertigo attack. Any suggestions?
Vincent Ambrose says:
I was excited about story title, then I read how to do the maneuver for relief and that puts me out. I have a severe spinal injury and getting on the floor is a one way trip and need help getting off of floor. The last time I went to E.R. with vertigo they tilted my upper body lower than my lower body and had me tilt my head back, they did that several times and hit me with an injection of Valium and an oral dose of med for vertigo. Not sure which worked but I woke up and vertigo was gone. That was my second episode of vertigo, the first was really bad that I passed out from vomiting pure bile in the E.R. bathroom. Nurse had to bring me around with smelling salts. They finally took me seriously and brought me back to exam room all the time vomiting while closing my eyes. They had to knock me out I was so bad. They stated I had labyrinthitis.
Johann Cronje says:
I am 71 and suffer from cervical Vertigo caused by certain movements of the neck.
It is normally caused by either injury or Arthritis.
Stacey L McCall says:
This technique worked for me immediately although after having Vertigo twice I am now left with Tinnitus. Do you know of a cure for this?
Sheila says:
I wish that I did. My husband and I both have Tinnitus. My ENT and Primary Physician have told me there is no cure for it. I’ve had Tinnitus for five years now. It is quite frustrating. Best wishes to you. I hope one day there will be help for this.
Jennifer says:
To get rid of the nausea I take motion sickness medication that contains meclizine plus my doctor prescribed an anti-nausea that I take when it’s really bad. They initially take a couple of hours to start working.
Tried this somersault method last night. Within minutes I was vomiting and now feeling worse than I had since this episode started five days ago. Not sure that I want to try it again.
Johnston SR. says:
OUTSTANDING ARTICLE RE: VERTIGO REMEDY * * LOVED IT ! ! !
HAROLD A. JOHNSTON SR.
I HAVE VERTIGO AND WILL TRY THIS ( HALF SOMERSAULT REMEDY )
Sheila says:
I have been prescribed a Scopolamine Patch for nausea and it does help. A prescription is needed for the patch and it stays in place for 72 hours.
K. says:
Is there any kind of modified form of this for those of us who have severe arthritis in the knees and can’t kneel and put weight on them?
I’ve seen 14 different doctors…had a multitude of tests, scans, and xrays. I’ve tried almost everything….medication, diet, vestibular therapy…..I’ve even had several doctors try to reset the crystals by turning my head side to side……and still not a moment’s relief. This has been going on for 8 years now. I’ve been living the expression “Hell on Earth.” I’d give anything for 5 minutes without vertigo.
DENNIS SWITZER says:
I was diagnosed with vertigo but it does not occur in bed so I do not know what side is affected. I experience the dizziness when I lay on my back when working on a car or something. Do I do this technique for both sides?
Bonnie says:
I have Meniere’s I use to get vertigo all the time.. but now have had 15 Steroid shots in my ear in my right ear which is my deaf and bad ear…and 4 Steroid shots in my left ear..
Those shots have saved my life.. I would spin and throw up with no warning..
Most ENT doctors can administer these shots..sometimes it takes more than one.. the steroid takes down the swelling in your ear which causes vertigo.
These shots I don’t think will help people with Positional Vertigo.
Nothing will help Tinnitus…sorry to say…
Hearing aids with the noise programmed into them so you don’t hear the noise in your head as much.
Good Luck
Bonnie
Debbie says:
I have vertigo and menieres my ent has done all the test he knows to do and nothing helps I have to go to bed for 3 to 4 days at a time and the ringing in my ear has about drive me crazy is there any help at all for it it is all the time day and night can’t sleep for it
Terri Hicks says:
Debbie , if I use a box fan at night I can’t hear the ringing in my ears.
Patricia Goodnough says:
Debbie, I use a sound machine at night. I set it to play the whole night, not just 20 minutes or whatever. The sound of crickets seems to work for me more than a gurgling brook or rain.