I’m wondering what folks are thinking about the relation between sleep and vestibular migraine (or other vestibular disorders). I’ve assumed that poor sleep is an aggravator of daytime VM symptoms (they certainly do go together), but I sometimes wonder whether the vestibular problems cause the sleep difficulties. Either way, related misery is real! But might this affect the choice of meds?
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Yes it’s a real challenge:
- Sleep hygiene is critical to prevent migraine
- Symptoms in bed, especially positional vertigo in bed can cause you to wake up and can harm your sleep
In my experience medication didn’t seem to do anything for positional vertigo and mine stopped being chronic on its own (but occasionally flares up from time to time). The only time I experience vertigo now is in bed during a rare relapse.
The way I combatted it was using multiple pillows to allow me to sleep at an angle. Buying a wedge “booster” might be helpful.
I’m wondering if either of you have had a sleep study done? I had my first sleep study done way back before I started having VM symptoms, some 30 years before, in fact.
My sleep study showed that I actually stopped breathing several times each hour throughout the night and that my O2 levels dropped dangerously low each time it happened.
I have to believe that O2 levels as low as I was experiencing, had to be damaging some areas of my brain. Possibly the area responsible for my balance and hearing with my left ear? I lost most of my hearing in my left ear about that same time.
I’ve been on CPAP now for 30 years. My sleep is now normal as far as Apnea events, but my limb movement is excessive for some reason. The sleep doctor wants to do another study, to concentrate on my limb movement, but Medicare won’t pay for it.
At any rate, your comments made me wonder if the Apnea and VM aren’t related.
No, I haven’t done a sleep study. Thanks for suggestion. Can’t imagine Medicare would cover that, though.
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Poor sleep is the far and away #1 trigger for my (daytime) vestibular migraine. Unlike some others, even when my symptoms are/were at their worst, I was almost always okay (or better) when lying down in bed.
Doctors often recommend magnesium for migraine patients and a bonus is that you take it before bed and it is said to improve sleep. (Important to get the right kind to avoid unwanted side effects, but it is worth a try perhaps.)
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Thanks, @lsengara. Yes, I have heard that about magnesium and will check out the various types.
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A good source of magnesium is a product called Migrelief. It contains not only the magnesium, but also the other vitamins and minerals that help metabolize the magnesium and also help migraine sufferers. I’ve used it for about three years, and the one time I tried to buy all the separate ingredients and put them together myself, I had one of the biggest flareups that I can remember. I went back on the Migrelief and within two weeks I was back to an even keel.
James gets a monetary consideration that he uses to pay for the expenses of this forum if you buy it by clicking on his link.
@turnitaround please provide the link for the Migrelief at Amazon.
https://amzn.to/3YulzNT
As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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@TexOkie Thanks much! Will check this out
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