Can Dizziness Be Caused by Your Pillow?
Dizziness or vertigo, can be caused by a number of different things. Infections of the ear, tumors in the head, dehydration, diseases of the inner ear and reactions to medications. 
Under normal circumstances, these conditions are found by medical doctors and can be treated.
However, one cause of dizziness is having pinched or stretched nerves in the upper part of the neck. You see, you have nerves in the upper part of the neck that circle back up into the head. These nerves transmit messages that control things like blood flow and positional sense to the brain. When a nerve in the upper neck gets irritated, it can send signals to the brain that tell it your body is doing something that it is not. You then start feeling light-headed and dizzy.
I have been treating people with dizziness more frequently over the past few years. The type of chiropractic adjustments I do, can really help people with dizziness. And, I would encourage anyone who continues to suffer from “benign positional vertigo” to get help from a chiropractor experienced in treating it. The drugs for dizziness are pretty nasty.
As I’ve been treating more and more people, I’ve been seeing a significant percentage of people that have one thing in common. They sleep on memory foam pillows and mattresses.
The memory foam is not supporting the spine correctly and it causes the upper cervical nerves and spinal cord to become stretched. After a while of sleeping on the pillow, people wake up dizzy. This is especially true if they are sleeping on their back.
What’s the answer ? Well, its simple. Throw out the pillow and see if it helps. Try sleeping flat on your back with little or no pillow. If you sleep on your side, make sure the pillow is high enough to prop up your head slightly. Play around with different pillow heights until you are comfortable.
If you are still having the dizziness, chiropractic care may be a good option for you. For more information on dizziness log on to: www.stopvertigonow.com.
Comments
If the pillow height is correct, it works, if not it won’t work. Its as simple as that. I tell people to stay away from memory foam pillows because they can cause dizziness. The dizziness is likely due to low grade pressure on the spinal cord and possibly other types of nerve pressure. It can be very difficult to treat and not something you would want to go through, especially if it was caused by a bad pillow !
Hi I’m Susan and I was wondering if anyone would explain to me why when I sleep with no pillows at all I get dizzy when I walk is this normal?
I literally hate pillows. They are singlehandedly the most destructive force on our society today. Throw out your pillow and get a great night sleep. You don’t give babies pillows, why would you want to use one? Do away with back pain and its cause. Pillows make people hunch-backed. Do you wanna be a hunch-back?
Just saying,
Joe
If you are a back sleeper, you shouldn’t use a pillow. Use just a few layers of towel or nothing at all. On your side, you will need a pillow that props up your head slightly, this takes the pressure off your shoulder. I don’t know if pillows are the most distructive force on society today, but they can do one heck of a lot of damage if they aren’t right.
Susan, the position you are sleeping in is putting pressure on proprioceptive nerves in the upper part of your neck. You need to adjust your pillow height. Higher when you are on your side, very low when on the back. If this continues, you may want to get evaluated.
Hi there!
I have recently been dealing with BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) and daily headaches. It all started Nov 2012 when I woke up with a “kink” in my neck and down my right shoulder. A week later, I experienced BPPV and, from that, anxiety. Since seeing an ENT for the BPPV, I have had daily headaches/migraines (they vary) that I usually always wake up with. I also get a little dizzy/”off” feeling (not true vertigo) when laying down.
Wondering what advice you have for a pillow? Or if this might sound like something pinched in my neck?
**amendment to my earlier post: of course, I meant Nov 2010! I work for an auto company and my mind works in model years. Whoops!
Any help/advice is much appreciated!!
–Sarah
Hi Sarah,
For now, use a small pillow with towels stacked underneath. You can adjust the height by folding the towels so they are higher or lower. You can add more towels or take some away if necessary. When you lay on your side you should feel like your head is propped up sightly. If the height is too high, you will feel uncomfortable in your neck. If you are too low, you will feel pressure on your lower shoulder and you will want to curl up or toss and turn. When the height is just right, you will feel comfortable and you will sleep all night in one position. Also, your mattress will have to be firm for this to work. If your mattress is soft, you will always have pressure somewhere in the spine.
If you started getting BPPV and headaches after waking up with a kink in your neck, you most likely have a problem that can be helped with the techniques I use. You can call our office for a free consultation and we can talk further. There is some testing I do which would tell you if you are a candidate for treatment. No obligation. You can call Jennifer at 262-251-8306.
I was using 2 pillows until about 6 months ago. I woke up with neck pain and a huge knot on the side of my neck. I took away one pillow and the pain went away but the knot is still there, although it has subsided alot since it first appeared. This past weekend I bought a contour pillow. I woke up with dizziness for 2 mornings so I took that away. I then used my husband’s side sleeper pillow and woke up again dizzy. Now I dont know what to do!!! I am running out of pillows here. Any suggestions?
Trash the contour pillow. Use a regular flat pillow. Then take a regular bath towel, fold it up and put it underneath. Adjust your pillow height by re-folding the towel or adding another towel. When you lay on your side your pillow height should be high enough so you feel that your head is propped up slightly. If its too high, you will feel discomfort in your neck. If its too low, you will feel like you want to curl up your body. The reason you use the towels, is because you can play with the height, up or down by as little as one thicknees of towel if needed. Also, a stack of towels will not compress very much, where two pillows will change shape. When you get the right height, you should feel like you are laying there, and you don’t want to move. Your eyes will close comfortably and you will be relaxed. If you don’t get that feeling, the pillow height is wrong.
If you are having a hard time getting the right height, your mattress may be too soft. But, start adjusting your pillow height with the towels first.
If you sleep on your back, you must be very flat. Use a small pillow, a few layers of towel, or no pillow at all
Anytime you go to sleep feeling pretty good and wake up with pain, numbness or dizziness, something happended at night that made you feel that way. Its usually the wrong pillow height or a soft mattress.
If you continue to have dizziness, call Jennifer at my office and set up a free consultation. 262-251-8306.
what do you think about something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Pillow-Total-Body-Support/dp/B0002AASH8
As with all pillows, if its the right height, it will work for you. If its the wrong height, it won’t. This looks too soft and low, that’s what makes you want to curl up and roll onto the body pillow part. I recommend a firm mattress with the pillow height adjusted as I’ve posted elsewhere. I recommend these things because I have tested them, other doctors have tested them, and we have found these things to work for everyone.
Hello, this is almost hard to believe that I’m reading this. I’m 27 years old, never had vertigo or anything like that in my whole life. My husband and I just bought me $80 memory foam pillow (simply b/c he has one and loves it) and today was my 2nd night sleeping on it and i woke up with the worst dizziness -had to call out of work and stay home. I started wondering if it has anything to do with the pillow we just got me and here it is! Well, it is not something that’s clinically tested or proven, but the facts that you, Dr. Karmer, are bringing can’t be a coincidence. It’s definitely helpful and makes me feel like I’m not just being picky thinking “it’s the pillow”. Thank you for your article!
You are welcome Nadya, lots of people get dizziness after sleeping on a memory foam pillow. It is one of the first things I ask when a patient comes to me for help with dizziness. Try sleeping on a regular pillow adjusted as I talk about in other posts. If you are still getting it, call my office and schedule an appointment. Its a simple fix. There is a vertebra out of alignment in your neck stretching your spinal cord. If the misalignment is self-correcting, you will sleep on the right pillow for a night or two and the dizziness will go away. If it doesn’t go away completely, it is because the misalignment is not self-correcting and needs to be corrected. If thats the case, call my office for an appointment. At your age and with this type of history, it shouldn’t take too much treatment to re-align.
January 8th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I just purchased a memory foam pillow and experienced some dizziness the first few nights using it. It is the variety that maintains a traditional pillow shape rather than the curved profile. I found this article helpful and as a result have simply made sure to place the pillow such that it reaches far enough to fully support both my head and neck. Thus, don’t throw out the pillow. You may just need to make sure it is positioned properly!