It can be hard to live with a health condition that affects your balance like vertigo. It can be even harder when your vertigo brings about a panic attack. By understanding that your balance disorder is accompanied with anxiety, you will have a better chance of getting both disorders treated.
Vertigo and Anxiety
When you experience vertigo for the first time, it is terrifying because you do not know what it is or why it is happening. The world starts to violently spin around you and you experience waves of intense nausea. When the vertigo ends, you are left with no answers and just exhausted and scared. It can strike you at random and happen more frequently. According to Healthy Hearing, the average vestibular patient sees five to seven doctors before finally receiving a diagnosis about their vertigo. Once you do get a diagnosis, you look on the internet for answers which heightens your anxiety.
How Anxiety Worsens Vertigo
You live your life with uncertainty and fear as you do not know when your vertigo will act up, leaving you more anxious. The panic and anxiety that you experience during acute vertigo or dizziness can multiply your suffering an already horrible experience. That is why it is important to get your anxiety under control in order to improve the severity of your vertigo.
Managing Your Anxiety
You can first go to therapy. Let your therapist know about the underlying issues that are causing your anxiety. Your therapist may have the answer for both issues. You can also create a daily meditation ritual to lower your anxiety levels. You also may need to be on anxiety medication as a safety net to better handle your symptoms. Exercising is a great way to activate the feel-good chemicals in your brain like endorphins and dopamine.
It may be hard for you to exercise if you are feeling dizzy, but stick with exercises that can help you with your balance like stationary bikes, treadmills, and elliptical machines that you can hang onto and go at your own speed. Getting enough high quality sleep of seven to eight hours is very important for both your anxiety and vertigo. It may seem overwhelming to struggle with both vertigo and anxiety and having to juggle them both. By going into treatment for anxiety while having a balance disorder, you will prevent them from interfering with your life.
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