Pillows which are too soft or flat can lead to a range of problems including chronic neck, shoulder and arm pain, stiffness, pins and needles or numbness in the hands and arms, painful headaches and migraines, and even vertigo or dizziness.
Sleeping on your back may keep fluid from building up and may prevent calcium crystals from moving where they don't belong. Sleeping on your side, especially with the “bad” ear down, can trigger a vertigo attack.
Research strongly suggests that there are associations between sleep quality and illnesses associated with dizziness such as vertigo. We often change the position of our head when we fall asleep and as we wake up which can trigger vertigo.
For people who are experiencing dizziness when they wake up, dysfunction in the circulatory system or peripheral vestibular system may be the cause. Some medications can also cause morning dizziness, as can alcohol and recreational drugs. Even dehydration or low blood sugar can make you feel dizzy.
Start sitting on a bed and turn your head 45° to the right. Place a pillow behind you so that on lying back it will be under your shoulders. Lie back quickly with shoulders on the pillow and head reclined onto the bed.
In addition, she should have a great neck support pillow that will stabilize her neck and head and discourage any side to side or up and down movement which many chronic Vertigo sufferers report will aggravate the condition.
Head or Neck Injuries Can Result in Cervicogenic Dizziness
When ligaments of your neck take damage or are overstretched, pressure on your nerves can take place. This, in turn, can result in bouts of cervicogenic dizziness.
Many experts recommend that you try and sleep on your back, as the crystals within your ear canals are less likely to become disturbed and trigger a vertigo attack. If you happen to get up in the middle of the night, rise slowly as opposed to making any sudden movements with the head or the neck.
Your pillow is losing its loft or shape or is lumpy
For side and back sleepers, this spells bad support and, as a result, poor sleep. If you're constantly fluffing your pillow or trying to smooth away lumps, it's a good indicator your pillow's fill is past its prime.
Bed rest for extended periods of time can cause calcium particles already dislodged by infection or even a blow to the head to shift into the inner ear. Sitting or standing quickly (motion sickness) after long periods of rest can trigger episodes of vertigo.
First, let's address the most common cause of dizziness while lying down: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. This condition occurs when tiny gravity-sensing crystals in the inner ear mistakenly move into parts of the ear – namely, the parts that detect head motion.
Over time, ear crystals may dissolve, but bear in mind that this could take weeks or longer, and during that time, a person would have to endure the extreme discomfort of BPPV, where even the slightest head movements would throw their world into disarray.
“In rare cases, people who experience debilitating vertigo might need surgery, but I find that lying down in the dark, avoiding lights, TVs, and other distractions, and just getting some rest can ease my symptoms,” she said.
Salty foods including chips, pretzels, salted nuts, canned foods, soups, deli meats, pastas, sauces, baking soda, condiments, pizza, baking powder, seasonings, frozen meals, pickles, salad dressings, and cheese can all trigger vertigo.
For most people with vertigo, the spinning sensation lasts a few seconds to several minutes and usually goes away without treatment.
If you're dehydrated, you may start to feel dizzy. This feeling can cause you to also experience lightheadedness, wooziness, fairness and unsteadiness. You may also experience a very specific form of dizziness called vertigo.
Pillows which are too soft or flat can lead to a range of problems including chronic neck, shoulder and arm pain, stiffness, pins and needles or numbness in the hands and arms, painful headaches and migraines, and even vertigo or dizziness.
People with cervical vertigo have both neck pain and dizziness. Other symptoms include vision issues, nausea and lack of coordination. Several different things can cause the condition, such as inflammation, joint issues and trauma.
Cervical vertigo is caused by inflammation, trauma, or degenerative changes in the cervical spine or neck musculature. Symptoms may include dizziness and neck pain with head movements. It may be accompanied by tense and tight neck muscles, stiffness of the neck as well as referred pain to the head, neck, or arms.
Sleeping on a wedge pillow allows you to adjust your angle while providing support for both your head and your neck. If you're suffering from BPPV, sleeping at an incline prevents the "ear rocks" from falling into a position which could cause you problems.
BPPV is almost always triggered by a change in your head's position. Some people may notice symptoms when lying down or sitting up in bed. Others might notice symptoms when they tilt their head back or to the side. These symptoms often worsen with age due to normal wear and tear of the inner ear structures.