Hey Leonards,

Following on from what davOD said about crystals in our ears, you may be suffering from BPPV. This is certainly worth consideration. This can be self treated easily with the Epley Manoeuvre.


Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo(BPPV)

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) usually causes intense, brief episodes of dizziness or vertigo associated with moving the head, often when rolling over in bed or getting up in the morning. Some people may also feel nauseous between episodes of vertigo.

Activities that bring on BPPV symptoms vary from person to person. Getting out of bed or rolling over in bed are movements that often trigger dizziness, vertigo, light-headedness, imbalance or nausea. Some people feel dizzy when they tip their head back to look up.

Inside the inner ear is a series of canals filled with fluid. These canals are oriented at different angles. When the head is moved, the rolling of the fluid inside these canals tells the brain exactly how far, how fast and in what direction the head is moving.

BPPV is thought to be caused by little calcium carbonate crystals (otoconia) coming loose within the canals. Usually, these crystals are held in special reservoirs within other structures of the inner ear (saccule and utricle). It is thought that injury or degeneration of the utricle may allow the ‘crystals’ to escape into the balance organ and interfere with the fluid flow.

BPPV can be treated with simple exercises. These positional manoeuvres aim to move the crystals out of the semicircular canal of the inner ear and into an area of the inner ear where they no longer cause dizziness.

The following is a YouTube introduction and explanation of the Epley Manouevre. You may find a local therapist that will help you if you feel this is appropriate to you.

Epley Maneuver to Treat BPPV Vertigo - YouTube

Best wishes,

Atty