Can Stress Really Cause Vertigo? Here's What To Know, According To Experts

You know the feeling: You're sitting completely still, yet somehow your mind manages to trick you into feeling as if you're spinning or moving up and down, as if you were on an amusement-park ride. Those are some of the telltale signs of vertigo, a condition that affects up to 15 to 20% of the adult population, reports the Handbook of Clinical Neurology1.

And because stress and vertigo are inextricably linked, according to Remenyi, managing stress properly can help. Here, expert-approved strategies to combat vertigo brought on by stress.

So, how does it happen? Mohamed Elrakhawy, M.D., resident physician in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University at Buffalo, explains that ​there are five organs in each inner ear responsible for determining the body's orientation.

Alyssa Kirby Horowitz, N.D., who frequently uses naturopathic remedies to treat patients' vertigo, says the brain uses a variety of strategies to determine our body's orientation. She likens the mechanism to a bubble-filled level used in home renovations.

He cites a few studies that looked into the relationship between the vestibular system and stress, specifically various stress hormones such as cortisol:

"So it's tough to make a definitive statement on cortisol and the vestibular system, other than to suggest they are related, with future studies needed to show a precise connection," Elrakhawy says.

Managing stress is no easy feat, says Elrakhawy, as we all have a baseline level of daily stress that we try to limit. However, there are some strategic measures that can help:

Measures you can take include eating a healthy, balanced diet, getting adequate sleep at night, and making sure to exercise and participate in physical activity. "Having good social support and a good network to rely on can help with coping with acute and chronic stressors," he says. "Treatment and management of anxiety, depression, and panic disorders is also important."

Remenyi recommends seeking ways to minimize the triggers. For example, you might be able to regulate your sleeping patterns, have that difficult conversation with your partner or boss, or check off long-overdue items from your to-do list.  

Horowitz recommends breathing exercises, meditation, walking in nature, taking a bath, talk therapy, journaling, Emotional Freedom Technique, or the home Epley's Maneuver, which requires you move your head in different positions to realign the inner ear sensors. In addition, try avoiding prolonged head tilting, such as when you're speaking on the phone, or rapid alternating head movements (including while driving). 

Supplements like ginkgo, antioxidants, and omega-3s can be helpful since they increase blood flow to the brain5, says Horowitz. Vitamin D can be a helpful option, as well. She also recommends opting for whole foods and steering clear of anything that can further contribute to inflammation, like fried or highly processed foods, alcohol, or caffeine. Because your inner ear maintains a strong balance of sodium, potassium, and chloride, she says it's important to keep your sodium intake low and ensure proper hydration. 

Once you've worked on your physical, psychological, and spiritual health, Remenyi recommends, "Really drop in and celebrate the choices you're making to nurture and care for yourself," she says. "Make the process of change rewarding rather than punitive or rigid. Learn to enjoy your body rather than fear the next vertigo attack by making more of these little changes each week."

Elrakhawy recognizes how scary of a situation it can be, especially if it's your first time experiencing it. Here's how he advises handling a vertigo attack:

From there, "a follow up with a doctor to evaluate the cause of the attack is critical, to try to avoid a similar event in the future or to mitigate it," says Elrakhawy.

Elrakhawy says among the long list of possible culprits, some of the most common ones include:

What can be quite frustrating is that the explanation behind vertigo is sometimes idiopathic in that its cause of origin is unknown or unexplainable by science, says Remenyi. "While highly uncertain and upsetting for folks who receive this diagnosis, it can be an invitation to surrender and search more deeply for the inner strength to overcome chronic vertigo symptoms, using the wisdom of the body and not leaning too heavily on diagnosis, cures, or external fixes."

Considering vertigo is a symptom rather than a disease, Elrakhawy says you should see a medical professional promptly at its onset, in order to rule out any potential life-threatening causes.