Vertigo can make a person feel the room spin. Or that the room is tilting. Or that a person sits still, and everything around that person moves. 

These signs are serious in that they show that your emotional state is inextricably entangled with the inner workings of your balance system.

It is widely known that inner ear problems can cause vertigo. It is perhaps less widely known than before that can stress cause vertigo, as stress would seem to activate the same nerves that regulate balance. 

If you understand how your mind connects with your body, you may regain health in addition to balance.

What Is Vertigo?

Vertigo, unlike lightheadedness, spins either the person or their surroundings. The spinning lasts from seconds to hours and sometimes days. 

The vestibular system is a tiny fluid-filled system within the inner ear. These canals form a kind of internal GPS system for the body. 

These sensory hair-like cells detect head movement then send the balance information toward the brain. When someone severs the connection between these cells and the brain, the balance system becomes confused causing dizziness.

How the Inner Ear Maintains Balance

Your inner ear contains three semicircular canals. Fluids fill these canals. Tiny sensors line these canals. The sensors bend when your head moves.

Your brain then receives this information for determination about your body’s location and orientation. This information, together with your eyes and muscles, keeps you upright.

There are several conditions that upset this.

Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV): Crystals of calcium or canaliths have wandered to the wrong place in the ear. These crystals are confusing the balance sensors.

Meniere’s Disease: A disorder of the inner ear shows pressure, vertigo, and hearing loss.

Vestibular Neuritis or Labyrinthitis: Viral infections in the inner ear or its nerves cause inflammation.

In these situations, vertigo is almost always your body’s way of telling you there’s a problem somewhere in the balance system.

The Role of Stress in Vertigo

Stress will not directly harm the inner ear. Stress can change inner ear function. Stress results in hormone level changes like cortisol and adrenaline It is linked to the “fight-or-flight” response.

They may also disrupt the inner ear’s balance receptors when they send incorrect nerve signals from the inner ear to the brain, which may cause symptoms like dizziness or vertigo. This explains the well-documented link between stress and vertigo.

Stress tenses muscles around the neck and shoulder girdle, decreasing blood flow to the head and increasing dizziness in cervicogenic dizziness and vertigo.

The Anxiety–Vertigo Cycle

More generally, vertigo and anxiety are often paired in the same person, with the fear of another episode leading to anxious rumination which can exacerbate symptoms of vertigo and start a vicious spiral.

During anxiety attacks, adrenaline levels increase breathing and heart rate to make vertigo worse. 

Hyperventilation can also lower carbon dioxide levels because blood vessels constrict and supply the brain and inner ear. It can cause faintness or unsteadiness when symptoms get worse.

To break this cycle, one must manage the emotional aspects with the physical aspects at the same time.

How Chronic Stress Worsens Vertigo

Stressing out keeps cortisol levels high temporarily. This may overstimulate the nervous system and possibly make you more sensitive to what brings on vertigo. Long-term stress may:

• It upsets the nervous system’s equilibrium.
• Increase inflammation
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Make your vestibular system more reactive to stimuli in that way.
• Active stress can compromise your immune system, setting you up for infections that reach the inner ear and exacerbate your vertigo.

Managing Vertigo Through Stress Control

Therapy helps normalize the inner ear for function.

1. Physical Activity

Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and inner ear and reduces stress, so it helps to improve balance. Walking, swimming, or yoga are excellent low-impact activities for seniors to consider.

2. Relaxation Techniques

Meditating mindfully with controlled breaths may decrease the stress hormone cortisol then stabilize the ANS (autonomic nervous system). Relaxing for 10-15 minutes a day may reduce the severity and duration.

3. Sleep and Rest

Cortisol keeps at bay when enough sleep is had and there’s an uptick when sleep is low – the nervous system just goes into overdrive, pushing out cortisol. You should aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep per night. A regular sleep-wake schedule is also advisable.

Lifestyle and Dietary Adjustments

Stay Hydrated

If you are dehydrated, vertigo may be aggravated — so drink fluids for electrolytes throughout the day.

Limit Caffeine and Alcohol

Both affect inner ear function so both keep fluid homeostatic, both may increase vertigo in someone, and both cause anxiety.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Blood sugar levels might become stable. This can help nerves.

One may limit dietary salt intake and avoid using processed or pre-packaged foods along the way, to limit fluid retention in the inner ear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can nothing but stress bring on vertigo? 

A: Stress is not a common cause of vertigo, but it can indirectly contribute to the condition by overshadowing other systems in the body i.e. the nervous system.

Q: How long does stress-related vertigo last?

A: Stress induced vertigo may be minutes, hours or days depending on the particular diagnosis and the severity of stress. They also quickly disappear with stress management. 

Q: How do I know if my vertigo is caused by stress? 

A: This is a diagnosis of a stress vertigo if it only happens in the midst of some kind of stress or panic attack and can be relieved by just relaxing. 

Q: When Should I Call the Doctor?

 A: Consult a doctor on the days they have vertigo, or if they are experiencing sudden hearing loss, severe headache or double vision, or have an inability to walk.

Q: Can anxiety treatment cure vertigo?

A: Treating the anxiety will cure the disease. Anxiety therapy, relaxation methods and medications may alleviate your body’s reaction to stress and therefore lessen the frequency of vertigo. Getting Your Balance and Well-being Back

Regaining Control of Your Balance and Well-being

Knowing the connection between stress and your inner ear health gives you the power to control your vertigo better. Your inner ear’s condition may cause your vertigo; stress is often a major aggravator that you can control.

You may not be able to eliminate all stress, but you can learn to manage it in healthy ways now. Exercise, sleep, hydration, and relaxation are helpful to your body.

If someone records vertigo episodes in a vertigo diary, they may also identify triggers and patterns, like links to physical activity or stress, and devise vertigo management strategies.

An effort to explain mind and body directly leads to less vertigo symptoms and the ability to face life calmly and securely. Vertigo is not a balance disorder as it is a reminder of the connection between mind and body.