A Treasure Trove of Actionable Tips for Dizziness

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For those who suffer from chronic or recurrent dizziness, allergy season always seems to kick up symptoms. Here are some actionable tools you can try right now to calm symptoms from Dr. Stephanie House, a mind-body physical therapist and wellness coach in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Keep moving:

For people with chronic or recurrent dizziness, the story generally goes:

Even on your most dizzy days, some form of movement can help lessen symptoms and, in the right dosages, send signals of safety to your brain. Some ideas include:

  • Gentle movement

  • Tai Chi

  • Qi Gong

  • Certain types of yoga and Pilates

  • Graded exercise

Build in time for rest, recovery and optimization:

Our brains need periods of rest and safety to help us rewire and minimize symptoms.

  • Prioritize your to-do list for what needs to be done versus what you want to get done. Do the most important things first and leave optional and easy tasks for the end of the day.

  • Plan out time throughout the day for rest. “Rest” will look different for everyone and will change for you day to day and as you heal. It may mean preventatively laying down in bed with the lights off for 30 minutes. It could also look like longer rest breaks when doing a strenuous workout. The more you learn about what your body needs, the faster you can break the dizzy cycle and start to recover.

Manage allergy and migraine symptoms, which may be exacerbating dizziness:

I always get an influx of dizzy people in my clinic during allergy season. Read about the interaction here. Many people find that their dizziness subsides with frequent nasal rinses after exposure to pollen and other irritants.

If you have a migraine disorder, tracking food, weather, stress levels and sleep over five days can give you insight into your triggers so that you can better manage symptoms. For both allergies and migraines, adequate hydration, electrolyte and mineral levels are important. Your physician or holistic practitioner may also be able to help symptoms through gut work, supplements and medications.

Have your tools ready:

There are countless products on the market to improve dizziness, including:

  • Blue light blocking glasses (helping for daily screen exposure)

  • Green glasses (great for vestibular migraine attacks)

  • Vagus nerve stimulators (such as Truvaga or Cefaly)

Reflect on your thoughts surrounding dizziness:

When dizziness comes on, do you go into panic mode and catastrophization? Reflect on the thoughts that come through and see if you can approach these sensations more with curiosity than fear.

Get grounded:

Guided grounding meditations can be found through a simple google search. If you are having a dizzy day, you can try this simple but powerful practice:

Begin by lying on your back, close your eyes if comfortable. Begin with deep, slower breathing. Move toward sensing every body part that’s touching the ground (shoulders, back of head, etc). On each exhale, soften and sink those points of contact deeper into the floor, allowing it to support you fully. Feel how stable and safe you are despite symptoms. Feel free to then move through a body scan from head to toe — approaching the sensations with curiosity, not fear. Stay here for 5-10 minutes continuing with any combination of the above.

About Dr. Stephanie House

Dr. Stephanie House has over 17 years of experience in the health and wellness field and currently owns her own practice as a mind-body physical therapist and wellness coach in Charlottesville, VA. Many of her clients with dizziness and chronic pain seek out her holistic healing model after they have exhausted other traditional avenues such as medications and “big box” PT. Stephanie holds certifications in vestibular therapy, dry needling, yoga therapy, and pregnancy and postpartum.

House of Balance’s mission is two-fold: Healing and Empowerment. We create a healing and supportive space to eliminate symptoms through addressing root causes of movement dysfunction and pain. Along the healing journey, you are given tools, resources, and accountability to empower you to become the CEO of your own heath – learning to manage new or recurring symptoms and designing the life you desire.

Learn more about dizziness and balance exercises here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Dr. House directly: info@houseofbalancept.com or visit her website: www.houseofbalancept.com