Chewing Almonds makes me dizzy

I’ve included almonds in my diet because they are very anti-inflammatory – but the act of chewing them makes me immediately dizzy! I can actually feel it happen. I notice a few comments around the site about chewing. Can anyone relate? I’m a little confused because I also got my big bang from injections of dental anaesthesia (followed by a 4 hr drive).

These are raw, unsalted almonds, if that makes a difference. They have a bit of a crack at first, but seem to crunch up pretty easily.

Anyhow, I’m going to get a mechanical grinder and not use my poor teeth anymore!

This sounds a bit like you might have problems with tension in your jaw muscles, sometimes known as TMJ (short for temporomandibular joint). The symptoms of TMJ and MV can overlap quite a bit, and TMJ is a known migraine trigger. The jaw muscle is very powerful, and issues with it can cause lots of weird symptoms. Considering your big bang was a dental treatment, and that chewing brings on dizziness, it might be something worth looking into?

I have a very similar problem, and although it’s not as bad now I do still get dizzy from chewing sometimes. I get a lot of tension and pain in my face from TMJ and it seems to be what triggers the migraine symptoms really badly.

Oh and if you’re finding that almonds are making you dizzy, then maybe try drinking almond milk on your cereal instead? It would be gentler on your jaw, but you’ll still get the anti inflammatory effect :slight_smile: Make sure to check the ingredients so that you’re getting a sugar free brand!

I’ll try going on a completely no chew diet and see if that helps! I have never had migraine headaches or jaw pain and the dentist always gives me a TMJ exam. What I have is Mdds, which I don’t think could be related to TMJ. How could TMJ vertigo be relieved consistently with motion and reappear more strongly after a car ride?

I guess it’s just another trigger, among so many!

It’s easy enough to make almond milk once I can grind, I can’t see myself drinking packaged.

I was assuming that you had MV, didn’t realise that it’s mdds you suffer with! Our balance systems are weird things, and if nerves in the face/eyes are agitated from muscle tension then you never know what kind of effect it might have. Visual vertigo/sensitivity is commonly worse after travel.

I’ve been diagnosed with VM and TMJ, and notice that they feed into each other quite a lot. The TMJ is definitely part of the problem, but I don’t have any of the jaw clicking/locking problems that you generally associate with it, you don’t need to have an obvious issue with the joint to suffer with muscle tension in the area. Since childhood I’ve ground my teeth and clenched my jaw in my sleep, and notice that when this habit gets worse the MAV symptoms also get worse. Travel makes the symptoms worse when I stop moving (I feel fine while travelling), my VRT therapist says this is because of the visual stimulation and changes in movement.

It can’t hurt to look into it, especially since your Big Bang was a dental treatment and that chewing gives you symptoms. The no chew diet could be a good place to start :slight_smile: Maybe keep an eye on tension in your jaw to see if you might be clenching it, or ask someone close to you if you ever grind your teeth in your sleep?

Honeybee, it sounds like you have Mdds as well!

Have you found anything for TMJ that relieves the vertigo? I do know that relaxation in general makes everything better :slight_smile: and try to incorporate that into every day.

What I described above is only part of my symptoms, I’m confident that the migraine diagnosis is correct. It was diagnosed independently by both a VRT therapist and a neurologist, and having done my own research & reading MV seems to fit my symptoms well. I have read a about mdds, but really don’t think it’s me.

I think you’ll find many people here who feel worse after travelling, it’s down to the visual vertigo aspect of MV.

Anything that relaxes my jaw enough will help with the migraine symptoms, i find that heat, yoga, relaxation/meditation, and being mindful of posture all help. I got a mouthguard from my dentist which seems to help a bit too, but I still haven’t stopped jaw clenching so I’m waiting to see a specialist in May.

Acid reflux at night, stress and being cold all make it worse, so I do my best to keep these kinds of things at bay.

I’m so sorry you have pain, Honeybee. That must be terrible for you. I studied yoga for years and years before I was able to really know how to use it for relaxation on my own, so I know it is a hard and long road.

I think Mdds is MAV or a form of it where you are sensitive to motion. I say Mdds for myself because I don’t have actual migraines, but a lot of people with migraines say Mdds if they got it after a cruise. I would think it was interchangeable if you notice improvement in a car, etc.

I just ate some very soft cooked greens and fish, and I got dizzy again – almost no chewing. This hasn’t happened before and is very strange. No ache pain or tension in the jaw, or anywhere in fact. The dental work did affect my bite at the beginning, but that was two years ago. There is no way I’m going for more dental work, because I’m also investigating the anaesthesia and antibiotics.

Oh, well, the neverending saga of this vertigo.