What should you know about rotary vertigo?

The room may seem to turn, or you may feel that your body is rotating. Some people also have nausea, unsteadiness, ear pressure, ringing, hearing change, headache, or sensitivity to movement. Brief attacks triggered by rolling in bed can occur with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. Episodes with hearing symptoms may occur with Meniere's Disease, while an ear infection or Migraine can also affect balance. The symptom pattern does not identify one cause by itself.

Sit or lie somewhere safe, move your head slowly, and avoid driving, heights, and machinery until balance returns. Small sips of fluid may help if nausea is present. Keep a note of how long each episode lasts, what triggered it, hearing or headache symptoms, recent illness, and medicines. A clinician can examine eye movements, hearing, balance, and the nervous system. An Epley Manoeuvre may help selected positional vertigo, but it should be matched to the correct side and diagnosis.

Seek emergency help for vertigo with weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, a new severe headache, fainting, double vision, inability to walk, chest pain, or persistent vomiting. Arrange prompt assessment for new hearing loss, repeated attacks, a head injury, fever with severe illness, or symptoms that do not settle. Do not assume a spinning sensation is harmless because it resembles an earlier episode.

Ask what feature of your episodes points toward an inner-ear, migraine-related, medication-related, or neurological cause. Ask whether you need hearing tests, balance assessment, or supervised repositioning treatment.