If you wake up with vertigo, you may feel scared and confused. Many people are uncertain what to do. In this blog, I will share five tips on what to do.
Woke up with Vertigo?
If you wake up with vertigo, the first thing to do is stay calm. If you get upset or stressed, your symptoms will escalate and last longer.
In a lot of cases, the vertigo will settle down within minutes, but the fight-or-flight response can magnify or prolong a vertigo attack.
If you have experienced vertigo before, you can use the strategies that helped you in the past. If this is the first time, you woke up with vertigo, here are some steps you can take.
Tip #1: Determine if You Need Emergency Care
Sometimes vertigo is considered a medical emergency, but most of the time it is not an emergency. If you woke up with vertigo, you may be unsure if it’s an emergency.
As a helpful reference, I share details about how to determine if you need emergency care in this blog – in case you cannot reach your doctor right away.
If you think you are experiencing a medical emergency, you should call 911 (within the US) or go to the nearest emergency room right away for care.
Tip #2: Notify your Doctor that You Woke up with Vertigo
Contact your primary care provider to report the new symptoms.
Ideally, try to schedule a Telehealth appointment as soon as possible. Your primary care provider can possibly prescribe medications and advise if you need to go to the emergency room or urgent care.
Tip #3: Use Medications if Needed
If you are able to get medications prescribed by your primary care provider, you may be able to get some relief.
At an urgent care and the emergency room, they will usually provide medications for temporary relief of symptoms.
If your doctor previously prescribed you medications for vertigo to take “as needed,” then you could consider using that medication as prescribed to see if it helps.
Tip #4: Ice your Neck
My clinical mentor at Johns Hopkins University taught me to apply ice to the back of my patient’s neck to reduce vertigo and nausea.
This is surprisingly effective to reduce your discomfort if you wake up with vertigo.
You can use a soft cloth ice pack, if you have one in your freezer. A bag of frozen peas or corn wrapped in a towel also works.
Traditional ice cubes are the least effective since the cubic shape does not conform well to the neck contour.
Icing the back of your neck along the hairline at the base of the skull between your ears while you sit up for about 20 minutes can help reduce your vertigo.
Set a timer for twenty minutes and remove the ice after that, so you don’t get frostbite on your skin.
You can re-apply the ice again later if needed, after your skin returns to room temperature.
Tip #5: Use Home Remedies
In this blog, home remedies for vertigo symptoms, I share about more remedies that may help.
In my online store, I share products I recommend to my patients, family, and friends – and use myself – to reduce vertigo and nausea.
In my book for patients called “Navigating the Health Care System as a Dizzy Patient,” I offer more detailed guidance on how to get answers and relief by advocating for yourself to get to the right health care providers.
Disclaimer
This blog is provided for informational and educational purposes only. The content and any comments by Dr. Kim Bell, DPT are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The details of any case mentioned in this post represent a typical patient that Dr. Bell might see and do not describe the circumstances of a specific individual.
