The vestibular system includes parts of the inner ear and brain that process information in the brain controlling balance and eye movement. The vestibular system sends signals to the vestibular nerve, which joins the cochlear nerve and carries electrical signals to the brain.
Vestibular disorders often result from disease, injury, aging, autoimmune disorders, allergies, genetic, environmental conditions, or have unknown origins.
Vestibular disorders are often common in:
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
Labyrinthitis (vestibular neuritis)
Meniere’s disease
Secondary endolymphatic hydrops
Vestibular disorders include superior semicircular canal dehiscence, acoustic neuroma, perilymph fistula, ototoxicity, enlarged vestibular aqueduct, migraine-associated vertigo, and mal de débarquement.
Vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus and ear fullness are all part of those who deal with Meniere’s. Increased pressure caused by abnormally large amounts of fluid in the inner ear impact the vestibular system, resulting in symptoms such as balance problems, lightheadedness, motion sickness, nausea/vomiting, tinnitus, feelings of ear fullness, and headache. Many Meniere’s patients have also experienced drop attacks and “brain fog” (forgetfulness, disorientation, and confusion/sensory overload).
Drop attacks are sudden falls (also known as Tumarkin’s otolithic crisis) that occur while standing or walking followed by complete recovery within seconds or minutes. The person has sensations of falling or being tilted despite actually standing straight. Drop attacks happen without warning and resulting falls can cause physical injury.
Those dealing with a vestibular disorder rely on information from their eyes and sensors in the body. Something innocuous as repetitive floor or wall patterns and high/narrow aisles in stores restrict our wide field of vision. The latter results in complex visual environments which overload balance systems. Optimal conditions for the balance system is taking visual cues from close by situations, but when complex depth perception is utilized more than usual, symptoms such as dizziness and blurred vision happen.
Long corridors, looking down from heights, glass/reflective walls, brick patterns, black and white tiles, zig-zags, stripes, or swirls on carpet can also cause overload (For example, I can’t watch anything involving spinning or looping movements such as roller coasters, even on television!).
Dizziness also results from overexposure to busy and moving environments. Crowded places, physical activity, smells, high volumes of traffic, and speed of a conveyor belt are only a few examples. Discomfort from unexpected loud noises, especially for those who wear hearing aids, and Meniere’s patients result in oversensitivity to sounds which may not bother others but are unpleasantly loud and intolerable to us. This is known as hyperacusis.
Stable lighting is important to those with vestibular disorders. Have you ever experienced unbalanced feelings, headaches, or vertigo after being in a room with flickering or flashing lights, prolonged focus on computer/TV/ phone screens, oncoming vehicle headlights or places with fluorescent lighting? These happen because our brains have limited capacities for specific amounts of change it can attend to at a time and co-ordinate balance. Lighting changes often cause dizziness and unsteadiness in those with vestibular disorders.
What are your experiences with sensory overload? Do doctors understand this aspect of Meniere’s disease? Leave a comment with your opinions!
The Dizzy Author 