Vestibular Migraines: The Dizzying Type of Migraine

Experiencing headaches since long and now getting dizziness with spinning of head……little strange right??

Well, you may have one of the specific type of migraine which known as “vestibular migraine”.

The term “vestibular” refers to the inner ear and sense of balance.

How it can differentiate vestibular migraine from classic migraine?

A migraine headache causes moderate to severe one sided throbbing and pulsating headache with sensitivity to light, sound and odors associated with nausea and vomiting.

Migraines are mostly associated with headaches, but vestibular migraines are different because there might be episodes with no headache at all. In most of the cases, symptoms last for a few minutes to several hours.

Doctor may look for the absence of signs of an inner ear problem or other possible sources of dizziness to help make a diagnosis of vestibular migraine.

Symptoms of a vestibular migraine include:

• feeling imbalanced and disoriented
• motion sickness caused by moving your head
• dizziness
• lightheadedness
• feeling like you’re rocking on a boat
• nausea and vomiting
• sensitivity to sound.

Vertigo symptoms usually happen before, during, or after the headaches. Sometimes, you might have migraines for years before the vertigo symptoms comes as complaint.

What Causes Them?

Like migraines, there are a many theories. But how it actual happens is still not cleared, but some believe that the abnormal release of chemicals in the brain plays a role in migraine.

It is more common in women than men. Vertigo symptoms commonly seen around age of 40, But the condition doesn't just affect adults. Kids can get it, too.

Some factors that triggers other types of migraines can trigger a vestibular migraine also, including:

• mental stress
• lack of sleep or sleeplessness
• menstruation
• dehydration
• weather changes

Certain foods and drinks like chocolate, red wine, processed meat and coffee can also trigger a vestibular migraine

How Vestibular Migraines Diagnosed?

Vestibular migraines can be slight difficult to diagnose because there’s not a clear-cut test for it. Instead, your doctor will discuss your symptoms and history which help for the diagnosis.

To treat you best, your doctor will want to rule out these other conditions that could be causing the symptoms:

• nerve irritation or fluid leaks in your inner ear
• transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), also called ministrokes
• Meniere’s disease (an inner ear disorder)
• Benign positional vertigo (BPV), which causes brief periods of mild or intense dizziness

Treatment, prevention, and management….

Homeopathy gives safe and effective management for vestibular migraine.

Lifestyle changes can also help:

• Make sure you’re getting enough sleep and rest.
• Exercise regularly, including neck stretching and vision stability.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Take up stress-reducing activities like meditation or yoga.

Lastly and important don’t try to diagnose yourself. Explain your headache with history and symptoms and let your doctor diagnose and help you with proper help needed.