Challenges of Daily Living
The vestibular system is central to a person’s core functioning. A damaged or diseased vestibular system can affect a person in many ways. This page addresses some common questions asked by people living with a chronic vestibular disorder, and also includes strategies, tips, and links to additional information.
Travel Strategies
Tips for Dining Out
Dietary Choices
Attending Events
Vision Problems
Allergies
Travel Strategies
Travel conditions that may be problematic for a person with a vestibular disorder include those that involve exposure to rapid altitude or pressure changes, certain motion patterns, or disturbing lighting. Travel decisions that accommodate a person’s disorder will depend on the diagnosis, the method of transportation (e.g., train, boat, airplane, automobile), and the conditions and planned activities at the destination. VEDA receives many questions such as these:“Will travel increase symptoms?” “Should I avoid travel?” “What is the best form of travel?” “What can I do to minimize discomfort while traveling?” For strategies and tips, read more…
Crowded and busy social settings such as restaurants may be very difficult to navigate if you have a chronic vestibular disorder. By making some adaptations, you may still be able to meet friends and eat in relative comfort. However, even with the best planning, you may become dizzy or disoriented. It will be easier on you and your dining companions if you explain your problem and suggest ways you can be helped before you actually need assistance. Here are some tips to get you started:
Selecting a restaurant
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Pick a restaurant with small separate rooms.
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No matter where you go, avoid rush hours.
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Avoid loud background music.
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Seek carpeted floors that reduce conversational noise and vibrations caused by waiters moving nearby.
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Avoid visually distracting shiny, checkered floors and surfaces, as well as ceiling fans and busy wallpaper.
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If the restaurant has a Web site, download a menu in advance and plan the meal to avoid visual strain and confusion.
Seating choices
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Seat yourself in the corner of a restaurant, avoiding the bustling middle.
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Sit away from kitchens, cash registers, and bars.
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Sit in chairs rather than benches to reduce motion caused by others seated next to you. Booths may also help block noise and activity.
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To reduce the amount of head turning required to converse, choose a round table or sit at the head.
Lighting
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Fluorescent lights may cause visual difficulty; sit away from and with your back to the light.
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Be aware that many restaurants control lights with a central rheostat, which can be visually disorienting when the lights are adjusted.
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Extinguish flickering candles on the table or ask for the wick to be trimmed.
Many people with certain types of vestibular disorders (e.g., Meniere’s disease, secondary endolymphatic hydrops, or migraine-associated dizziness) find that certain dietary modifications can help manage their disorder. Depending on your particular diagnosis, you may want to:
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Distribute food and fluid intake evenly throughout the day and from day to day.
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Avoid foods and beverages that have a high salt or sugar content.
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Avoid certain migraine “triggers.” Read more…
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Drink adequate amounts of fluid daily.
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Avoid tobacco and foods and beverages with caffeine or alcohol. Read more…
A person with a vestibular disorder is easily fatigued when sorting out vision and balance signals in expansive areas--even those that are quiet and calm. This effort becomes daunting in noisy and busy environments such as in massive stores, at crowded sporting events, in theaters, or even while navigating city sidewalks with other pedestrians. Such conditions make it difficult for a person to rely on visual clues about balance and movement because everything is moving, lighting isn't ideal, and stable anchors such as walls are far away. This affects the quality of a person's social, work, and family relationships because it forces you to make unsatisfactory choices. For example, you may need to choose between attending your child's soccer game and fixing dinner for the family after the game, because standing on the sidelines watching the team run back and forth is so overwhelming that you "rise to the occasion" during the game, but collapse as soon as it is over. You don't want to disappoint your child by not appearing at his game, and at the same time, you need to reserve enough energy to feed him at the end of the day and catch up with the rest of the family.
Here are a few tips to help you attend events in challenging environments:
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Use a cane to provide you with additional proprioceptive (touch) information about where you exist in space.
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Pack a fold-up stool or canvas chair in the trunk of your car to use when needed in outdoor events.
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If you are at a sporting event, sit at one end of the field/coliseum or the other rather than on the sidelines. This will help you avoid turning your head back and forth as the team travels up and down the field. Instead, you'll be keeping your head steady while watching the team run to- or away from you.
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Wear sunglasses to calm light and movement.
A common complaint for people with vestibular disorders is that they have difficulty with their vision. They may be sensitive to bright lights or even daylight. They have problems focusing on an object or perceive that objects are moving from side to side or revolving around them, or they may see their visual field jiggle or bounce. They may have difficulty getting “the right” glasses prescription. Learn about vision disturbances with a vestibular disorder and tips for tolerating problematic environments—read more…
Certain types of computer monitors or digital televisions can exaggerate visual sensitivity from a vestibular disorder. See information about choosing monitors and televisions, and viewing 3-D television and films with a vestibular disorder—read more…
Can a person who has an inner ear disorder and allergies have increased vestibular symptoms during allergy season? Answer: Yes. Allergies can cause congestion of the Eustachian tube, affecting its ability to equalize middle ear pressure. In general, this can cause a sensation of pain or fullness, and sometimes dizziness symptoms—especially for a person with certain types of vestibular disorders such as a perilymph fistula, Meniere’s disease, or secondary endolymphatic hydrops.
Does treating with antihistamines during allergy season help both the allergy and vertigo? Answer: An effective antihistamine can help unblock the Eustachian tube and equalize middle ear pressure. Thus, the antihistamine can help reduce the allergy symptoms and any dizziness or vertigo symptoms related to the blocked Eustachian tube, but not typically those symptoms caused by the underlying inner-ear disorder.
Would an allergist be knowledgeable of the vestibular system or have had some emphasis of study in this area in school? Answer: If the allergist is also trained as an otolaryngologist, yes—otherwise, probably not. Learn about what types of health care providers have specialized training in vestibular disorders.
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