How to Stop Vertigo Naturally: 10 Home Remedies

Health Line

01-07-2025

Key Takeaways
You may be able to relieve vertigo by performing certain maneuvers or exercises. These include the Epley maneuver, the half somersault maneuver, and the Brandt-Daroff exercise. Find more information on each of these in this article.
Quality sleep, ginkgo biloba supplements, and stress management techniques (like deep breathing and meditation) may also help manage vertigo naturally.
Vertigo is a feeling of movement, usually spinning, when you aren't moving. It may feel like the room around you is spinning. It's caused by your senses telling your brain that your body is off balance, even though it isn't.
Depending on the cause, it may happen after turning your head or looking down or in response to another trigger, such as an illness.
Vertigo is a symptom of an underlying condition, not a diagnosis. It can result from several different causes.
Some types of vertigo occur only once, and some continue to recur until the underlying condition is found.
What can trigger vertigo?
Though vertigo can result from various balance disorders, the most common cause is benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV). BPPV happens when calcium deposits build up in your inner ear, which navigates your sense of balance.
Other causes can include:
vestibular neuritis, or inflammation of the vestibular nerve, often due to a viral illness
head or neck injuries
labyrinthitis, or inflammation in the inner ear
Meniere's disease
Mal de Debarquement syndrome, a rare and prolonged disorder that can occur after passive motion like sea travel
vestibular migraine
Some causes, like a head or neck injury, may require medical attention, while you can resolve other types, like BPPV, at home. Vertigo that results from an illness may go away on its own with rest.
If you have vertigo, some home remedies and maneuvers you can do yourself may help.
Epley maneuver
Research indicates that the Epley maneuver is effective for people with BPPV. You can perform the maneuver at home by following this procedure:
Start by sitting upright on a flat surface, with a pillow behind you and your legs outstretched.
Turn your head 45 degrees to the right.
With your head still titled, quickly recline with your head on the pillow. Stay in this position for at least 30 seconds.
Slowly turn your head to the left, a full 90 degrees, without lifting your neck.
Engage your whole body, turning it to the left so you are completely on your left side.
Slowly return to your original position, looking forward and sitting straight up.
You may also have someone assist you with the Epley maneuver by guiding your head according to the steps. You can repeat it three times in a row, and you may feel dizzy during each movement.
Half somersault maneuver
The half-somersault maneuver is another strategy for people with BPPV. Research suggests that it may work as well as the Epley maneuver, but while performing it, people typically experience less dizziness than with the Epley maneuver. This may make it easier to perform on your own.
To do this maneuver, you must know which ear canal has the displaced calcium particles. If you cannot tell by moving your head, you can use the Dix-Hallpike maneuver to determine which ear is affected. That is the direction you will turn when performing the half-somersault maneuver.
After each step, hold yourself still until the sensation of vertigo passes or for about 30 seconds.
Kneel on the floor and tilt your head straight upward quickly until you are looking straight up at the ceiling.
Then, place your head on the floor upside down like you are preparing to do a somersault. Tuck your chin
so your head touches the floor near the back of the head rather than near the forehead.
Slowly turn your head to face your right or left elbow (whichever movement has caused vertigo). Keep your elbow in view. You will keep your head turned in this direction for the rest of the exercise.
Keep your head turned toward your elbow, and quickly raise your head to shoulder level so that it is at a 45-degree angle to the floor.
Quickly raise your head to the upright position, keeping it turned toward your shoulder in the same direction. Hold this position until the vertigo passes, and then slowly sit upright.
Rest for about 15 minutes in an upright position. Then, tilt your head up and down. If you don't have vertigo, do not repeat the maneuver. If you still feel some vertigo when making that movement, you can repeat the
maneuver.
Semont-Toupet maneuver
The Semont-Toupet maneuver is a similar set of movements you can perform at home to treat vertigo. This maneuver is less well-known, but some claim it is similarly effective. The Semont-Toupet maneuver involves movements similar to the Epley Maneuver but requires less neck flexibility.
Start by sitting upright on a flat surface, with a pillow behind you and your legs outstretched.
Lie down, turn to your right, and look to your left side, looking upward.
Quickly sit up and turn to your left side, keeping your head facing to your left. You will now be looking down toward the ground.
Slowly return to your original position, looking forward and sitting straight up.
Brandt-Daroff exercise
The Brandt-Daroff exercise may also be easier to perform independently, but you shouldn't perform it unless you are in a safe place and won't be driving for a while because it may increase dizziness for a short time. Research suggests it isn't as effective as the Epley maneuver but may help resolve vertigo in some people with BPPV.
Start by sitting on a flat surface, with your legs dangling as they would from a chair.
Turn your head as far as you can to the left side, then lay your head and torso down on your right side. Your legs should not move. Stay here for at least 30 seconds.
Sit up and turn your head back to the center position.
Repeat the exercise on the opposite side by turning your head as far as you can to the right side, then lying down on your left side.
You can do this exercise in a set of 5 repetitions and repeat it as often as 3 times a day, twice a week.
Ginkgo biloba
Researchers have studied ginkgo biloba for its effects on vertigo. It may be effective in treating certain kinds of vertigo, particularly vertigo caused by a buildup of plaque in the brain's arteries (cerebral arteriosclerosis).
You can find ginkgo biloba extract in liquid or capsule form. Taking a moderate amount of ginkgo biloba each day may lessen your vertigo symptoms and make you feel more on balance. However, talk with a doctor before adding ginkgo biloba or other supplements to your diet, as it may interact with other medications, including blood thinners.
Be sure to choose supplements that have undergone third-party testing to verify the quantity and quality of the ingredients.
Adequate amount of sleep
Not getting enough sleep may contribute to some causes of vertigo, such as migraine and balance disorders. If you're experiencing vertigo for the first time, it might result from stress or lack of sleep.
Taking a nap may help improve your symptoms. You can also improve your sleep hygiene and get more restful sleep at night.
Stress management
Some conditions that cause vertigo, including Meniere's disease and migraine, may occur as a response to stress.
Stress may also contribute to other factors, like insomnia or poor-quality sleep, that can trigger vertigo episodes.
Having coping strategies to navigate stressful circumstances may help decrease your episodes of vertigo. Practicing meditation and deep breathing techniques is a good place to start. Some apps may also help you reduce stress and anxiety.
Long-term stress isn't something you can simply breathe through, and often, the causes of stress aren't things you can cut out of your life. If those methods do not help enough, consider talking with a trained mental health professional who can help you learn and practice coping strategies that may help you manage your feelings in response to stress better.
Yoga and physical therapy exercises
Yoga can help reduce stress while increasing flexibility and balance.
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy is a type of physical therapy performed in an outpatient setting to help your brain anticipate and compensate for the cause of your vertigo.
This type of therapy may help people whose vertigo results from specific causes, such as:
head injuries
BPPV
lesions in the central nervous system
Some exercises you do at home can mimic this effect.
Try simple yoga poses, such as Child's Pose and Corpse Pose, when you're feeling dizzy. Be cautious about anything that involves sudden bending forward, as that could make your symptoms temporarily feel stronger.
Hydration
Dehydration can sometimes cause vertigo. You may be able to stop vertigo by drinking water.
You can also prevent vertigo from dehydration by drinking enough water each day. A good rule of thumb is to monitor the color of your urine and drink enough water so that it is close to clear.
Monitor your water intake and drink more if you're in hot, humid conditions, or sweaty situations that might cause you to lose extra fluids. Plan to drink extra water when you tend to become dehydrated.
Vitamin D
A study suggests that not getting enough vitamin D can worsen symptoms in people with BPPV. You can have a doctor test your vitamin D levels to know if you need to adjust your diet or try a supplement.
Takeaway
Vertigo is not a diagnosis, but if it keeps occurring, it may be a symptom of an underlying condition. Treating vertigo at home using specific exercises and maneuvers may help.
But if you continue to experience frequent vertigo, it's important to find out the cause. A primary care doctor might be able to diagnose you, or they may refer you to an ear, nose, and throat specialist or neurologist for further evaluation.