Most people attribute proper balance as the sole responsibility of the inner ear. The reality is there are several body systems that work together to keep us upright and balanced and a malfunction in any of these systems can result in dizziness, vertigo, and imbalance. The brain is ultimately responsible for maintaining balance and in order to do that, it relies on input from the inner ear, the eyes, certain muscles, tendons and joints, and lastly, even blood circulation aids the brain in maintaining balance.
It’s fairly common knowledge that an inner ear disturbance can cause balance problems. There are five delicate canals within the inner ear that are sensitive to any directional change. Three canals are devoted to detect changes in rotation. The other two canals sense any change in front to back, up and down, and side to side movement. The brain uses the information sent from these sensory canals to keep us oriented as to where we are in relation to the space around us.
The eyes have two systems in place that communicate with the brain about balance. One is called the pursuit system; it allows us to focus objects using the eyes’ central visual receptors. The other system locates items in our peripheral vision and speeds up our eye movement so those objects are brought into our central field of vision. This is called the saccadic (sa-KAH-dic) system. Problems that affect the eyes, like cataracts, also affect our balance.
The third system that participates in helping us keep our balance and prevent dizziness involves the muscles, the attaching tendons, and our joints. They contain receptors that respond to changing pressure and position.
Adequate blood circulation is crucial to balance. Whenever we change positions from sitting or lying down to standing up, blood vessels contract to keep blood from pooling in the lower body. The vessels in the neck and lower part of the brain offer low resistance to the blood the heart pumps out regularly, allowing a continual supply of blood to reach the brain.
The brain utilizes all the feedback it receives from all these systems to maintain balance and it does it without our having to think about it. When running or jumping, our eye position is automatically adjusted so the environment around us doesn’t jump around or shift position. If we trip over something, brain signals are sent out to adjust the activity of our muscles so we’re able to recover before actually falling. And for many activities we repeat a lot, our brain learns to recognize the pattern and actually anticipates the next move.
Of course, it follows a natural progression that if our muscles are tense and not allowing enough blood to the brain, or if the blood that reaches the brain is deficient in oxygen, our sense of balance can become compromised and we may experience dizziness or vertigo. Some people are so bothered by dizzy spells the quality of their life is affected.
I’ve developed a simple exercise plan to eliminate dizziness or vertigo caused by muscle tension in the head, neck, and shoulders that prevents adequate blood from reaching the brain. My Vertigo and Dizziness Program directly addresses these causes of dizzy spells by strengthening those muscles and increasing the amount of oxygen we take in through easy breathing exercises.
You can find natural relief from dizziness by using my Vertigo and Dizziness Program, often as rapidly as overnight. The simple exercises are easy to learn and take only a few minutes each day to perform. You’ll enjoy the results for a lifetime.
Warm regards,
Christian Goodman