What is BPPV?
BPPV is a type of vertigo that is characterized by dizziness, nausea, and/or disorientation when a person makes certain head movements, such as when they roll over in bed or get out of bed. BPPV, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, can be described as an illusion of movement due to misinformation between your proprioceptive, vestibular, and visual systems. The misinformation is caused when calcium crystals that help detect movement become dislodged and end up in the semicircular tubes in your ear. They can send wrong signals to your brain. When this happens you may feel dizzy and a spinning sensation. This means you probably have BPPV, the most common type of vertigo; thankfully, the Epley Maneuver has been shown to provide much-needed relief to sufferers. It was named after Dr. John Epley and is a 10-15-minute series of head movements.
Here is how to do the Epley Maneuver:
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Each head position is held for at least 30 seconds, but movements between each position are quick. Start in an upright sitting position with your head turned 45 degrees to whichever side is affected.
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After about thirty seconds, lie down backward with your head hanging at a 30-degree angle over the edge of the couch, with the ear of the affected side to the ground. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then quickly move on to the next.
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The next step is moving your head and rotating it 90 degrees so that you are facing the opposite side. After 30 seconds, keep your head in this position and rotate so your body rolls onto its side.
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After 30 seconds, your head should be rotated so you then face downward with your nose about 45 degrees below horizontal. Hold for 30 seconds.
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The final step is moving so that you sit up sideways, keeping your head in its position from step 4. Hold for 30 seconds.
After the maneuver, some people may experience light-headedness and have a bit of difficulty with balance for a couple of days. It’s best to be still for at least 10 minutes after completing the maneuver before doing activities like driving. If you do not respond to a single treatment, your doctor may advise that you continue at home. You might enlist the assistance of an aid to help you with the maneuver, in fact, many people do the maneuver for the first time in the doctor’s office with the help of their physician. We recommend this course of action and perhaps bringing a family member with you so that they can help you with the exercise again later if need be.
Although there are many repositioning procedures for the treatment of BPPV, the Epley Maneuver is the most successful. In fact, the success rate of the maneuver is about 80%. In addition, if you are looking for other natural ways alleviate symptoms like nausea and dizziness, DiVertigo, is also very effective; DiVertigo is all-natural and acts quickly (in less than 5 minutes) to help relieve symptoms that go along with vertigo. You can find it in major retailers like CVS, Kroger, and others.
