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.

My Head Feels Heavy At The End Of The Day- What Can I Do?

The head is a large and heavy part of a person. In a child, the head can account for ¼ of their height. In the adult, the head weighs 10-14 pounds and this load has to be balanced by the strength of the neck muscles. In normal upright posture, there is a forward curve to the neck, and this curve provides the perfect balance between strength and mobility. Unfortunately this curve can be disrupted by whiplash and other traumas that damage the delicate ligaments and disks. This results in a straight or “military” neck.

When a person bends their head forward to read or type, the neck begins to straighten and the weight of the head must be countered by the pull of the muscles at the back of the neck. If the person does this all day, because they work at a computer for example, then the muscles never get a break. Knots, tightness or spasm of the muscles will increase and cause a neck ache. Because the muscles pull at the base of the head, the person may feel a tightness or pain around the head. These are the symptoms of what is called a tension-type headache.

Usually the shoulder muscles are also involved and tight. Over time this forward head posture can become more permanent and a “round back” may also develop. More than just bad appearance, poor posture causes the spinal cord and nerves to become stretched resulting in pain. Poor posture may also cause the spine to prematurely deteriorate, called degeneration, which results in thin disks.

Forward head posture and bad neck curves can be diagnosed by x-ray and by observing the patient from the side. If forward head posture is detected, it usually means there is some stretch to the ligaments.

The answer cannot be found in a bottle of pain pills. Although they can block pain, the consequences are quite severe. First, they mask the cause of the symptoms and lead the patient away from the actual cause of the head pain. In addition, pain pills can cause stomach bleeding and kidney damage when taken for long periods of time.

There are other causes for tension-type headaches and the ‘heavy” feeling of the head. Certain rare diseases and high blood pressure can also make the head hurt. This is why it is important to have the cause of your problem properly diagnosed. Chiropractic doctors have extensively studied both spinal problems that cause headaches, as well as the more rare diseases, which occasionally cause the same symptoms.

YOU MAYBE A CANDIDATE FOR RELIEF.

FOR A FREE CONSULTATION, CALL 262-251-8306

If you have dizziness www.stopvertigonow.com for more information.