If you suffer from dizziness, you should be evaluated by a health care professional who, depending on the diagnosis, may recommend a vestibular rehabilitation program. Such programs help retrain your body to properly process balance information via simple exercises mostly involving your eyes and head, such as nodding and shaking your head.
One free internet-based vestibular rehabilitation program called Balance Retraining was developed by researchers at the University of Southampton in England. You can also get a free guide about the training. In a study in the Annals of Family Medicine completed by 250 people over age 50 (mean age 67) with vestibular dizziness, those who did the interactive program for six weeks experienced greater reductions in symptoms and dizziness-related disability at three months than those who received usual care (typically consisting of nausea medication and education and reassurance from doctors). Improvements were still seen at six months.
Set off by simple everyday movements such as turning the head or rolling over in bed, vestibular dizziness—the most common type of dizziness seen in primary care practices—increases with age and is associated with falls, anxiety, and depression. Left untreated, the condition can become chronic. Some vestibular rehabilitation programs also incorporate cognitive behavioral therapy, including breathing and relaxation techniques, to cope with the psychological aspects of the condition and decrease behaviors such as avoiding places or situations that may cause anxiety because of the dizziness, like school or social events. Virtual reality-based vestibular rehabilitation is being studied as an adjunct to conventional rehabilitation; early research looks promising.
