Dizziness When Lying Down: What Does it Mean?

You’re lying down in bed, ready to drift off to a restful sleep after a long day. Calming ocean sounds drift from your white noise machine, you’re wearing your comfiest sleepwear – but something isn’t quite right. You tilt your head ever so slightly, and then it hits you: a sudden dizzy spell strikes, and the room feels like it’s spinning. If you’ve ever experienced dizziness when lying down, you know how disorienting it can be. Fortunately, all of the most common causes of dizziness are highly treatable.

Dizziness When Lying Down: What Does it Mean?

BBPV and Dizziness When Lying Down

First, let’s address the most common cause of dizziness while lying down: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV. This condition occurs when tiny gravity-sensing crystals in the inner ear mistakenly move into parts of the ear – namely, the parts that detect head motion. This can result in sudden, brief periods of intense vertigo, the type of dizziness that makes it feel like the room is spinning around you. Dizziness symptoms associated with BPPV often occur when you lie down or roll over in bed. Although they’re short – usually between 10 and 20 seconds long – these episodes can be disorienting, frustrating, and even dangerous, as they could cause you to accidentally roll or fall out of bed.

Head Injury and Dizziness

Have you been in a car accident or suffered a fall lately? A head injury could be the culprit behind your dizziness. If you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) like a concussion, you may notice more general problems with balance, including vertigo. Fortunately, traumatic head injuries are treatable with the help of a dizzy and balance expert.

Ménière’s Disease and Dizziness

So, you’re experiencing dizziness while lying down, but neither BPPV nor a head injury seems to be the issue. You may be suffering from Ménière’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that causes severe vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and often a feeling of congestion in the ear. Ménière’s can lead to sudden attacks of dizziness that, like BPPV episodes, can be extremely disorienting. While Ménière’s disease can develop at any age, it most commonly affects adults in midlife between 40 and 60 years of age.

Treating Dizziness When Lying Down

Rest assured: you don’t have to suffer in silence. If you’re experiencing troubling dizzy spells, reach out to a dizzy and balance expert to get quick relief. If your doctor diagnoses you with BPPV, they may complete one of two in-office procedures to ease your symptoms. The first procedure, known as the Epley maneuver, involves gently tilting your head in a series of different directions. The second procedure, the Semont maneuver, involves quickly turning your head from side to side. If your doctor suspects a traumatic head injury, they may refer you to a specialty concussion clinic. These clinics are designed to properly evaluate any damage caused by a head injury; at that point, your doctor can work with you on a long-term treatment plan. Finally, if your doctor suspects Ménière’s disease, they will likely develop a long-term plan to address Ménière’s disease symptoms in the short and long term.

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Dizziness while lying down can be frustrating, preventing you from getting adequate sleep and even posing safety hazards. Fortunately, experts like those at National Dizzy & Balance Center are here to help.

Are you struggling with dizziness while lying down? Are you in need of medical advice and wondering where to turn? Reach out to the professionals at the National Dizzy & Balance Center. We specialize in diagnosing and treating vestibular disorders, including concussions and ongoing dizziness. Our talented team members can evaluate the extent of your concussion and design a personalized plan to relieve your symptoms. To learn more about our approach to dizziness management, please contact us online or by phone. Or if you’re ready to get started, schedule your free medical consultation today.