Hi everyone,
Have any of you been having problems with sleep in addition to all of this? I fall asleep ok, but wake early and can't go back to sleep. On top of that, I feel like the quality of the sleep I do get is really poor. I've been getting 6-7 tops and 2-3 on bad nights.

I'm finding the same thing - I will sleep for a few hours, then wake anywhere from 1am to 4am and then cannot get back to sleep. And no, it never feels like quality sleep. I'm absolutely exhausted, as I have had the dizzies for 2 years now and the sleep disturbances have been constant all that time. They were much worse in the first 12 months, as I could not even lie in bed without feeling that the bed was dropping out from under me, or starting to spin, but thankfully those feelings have lessened now. What I wouldn't give for a good night's sleep! Have tried sleeping tablets (both prescription and natural/herbal) but no luck with either.

For quite a while, particularly in the worst part of this attack, I slept poorly. I felt like I had been up all night, and in the morning it was very hard to get out of bed. I wonder if the sleep is being disrupted because our brains are working overtime to figure out these misguided signals. I can tell you that at least for me, it's gotten somewhat better as the symptoms have lessened. I hope you get some rest soon.

Hey Spikedoc do I know and feel EXACTLY what you are talking about. I haven't slept good since all this started 8 months ago. Which in turn makes me just absolutely drag and feel tired all the time which also in turn gives me anxiety wondering if something else is wrong with me. Anyway I am exactly the same way except it was never because the bed felt like it was moving or anything, I just plain couldnt sleep and still cant. It's like when I do fall asleep and then wake up it feels like I was only in a very light sleep and never feel rested. And also for the life of me I cannot fall asleep during the middle of the day no matter how bad somedays I want to take a nap because I feel so tired.

I'm stuck like you and there's not a lot I wouldnt give to just have a good nights sleep. I tried a sleep aid from the store and the next morning and rest of the day I felt like crap and the dizzy off balance stuff felt much worse. I've tried all the different natural stuff as well since I'm inclined to try that stuff first anyhow and nothing works....I'm on the verge of going to get a sleep study because I sometimes think It's gonna one day drive me insane....lol I mean that sounds funny but I feel your pain man.

If you find anything out that helps Im willing to try anything. Let's talk some more and trade notes....take care and hope you can get it under control. fighter

Sorry to hear you're one of the "sleep deprived", Fighter. It's just so awful, my dizziness is always worse when I'm tired, then I get stressed because I'm tired and dizzy, then THAT makes the dizziness worse, then I can't get any decent sleep, so it just goes round and round in circles. I have actually found one thing that helps with sleep is massage. Unfortunately I'm on my own now, so I don't have a willing partner to help out (mind you, my husband never gave me massages anyway!), but I do have a friend who gives great neck and shoulder massages and that does really help me to get some sleep. I have had neck problems for years and I am sure this contributes to my dizziness (I currently see a chiropractor which helps, but the neck problems keep recurring). Obviously the massage helps to relax everything and that helps both the dizziness and sleep. I do find I have to be careful with the massages though, especially in the neck area, as pressing on certain spots can actually make me a bit dizzy. So if you can get someone to give you a massage, just get them to go carefully at the start. Hope this might be of some help.

I don't get dizzy in bed either, that's one of the few reprieves I get from it. I have no trouble falling asleep the first time, it's just that I wake up and can't at ALL go back to sleep. Sometimes this is after 6 hours, recently it's been even less. My brain is usually on overdrive about things that don't even make sense, and I can't get in a state to fall asleep. Sometimes I feel exhausted, other times I wake mentally refreshed, even if it was only a few hours. It's like I'm on speed or something...Anyhow, I can't think of a connection to any of this yet, but I hope we can all get some sleep soon...

Hi all, I had the waking from sleep thing explained to me through our natural mechanisms for self preservation. If for example there was an earthquake, we would sense unusual movement in our sleep which would wake us to enable us react - fight or flight mechanism - in order to avoid harm.

If, in our sleep we get dizzy or sense movement because of an inner ear disorder, our bodies react in the same way. You will awaken suddenly, in this case for no apparent reason, and will struggle to sleep again due to the nervous system reactions that have been triggered in our bodies, ie. adrenaline release for fight or flight. This may explain the sensation someone described as like being on speed.

Can't remember who said what (sorry - foggy head at the mo) but I too have been sleeping better as my symptoms gradually improve. I have also had neck problems and had a TMJ disorder diagnosed and started using an orthopaedic pillow and wearing an NTI splint at night which has helped enormously.

As for the sleeping tablets, I use them occasionally fairly successfully, but it is very important to use something effective. If the drugs sedate you, they also sedate your brains ability to compensate. Therefore if they don't knock you into a deep sleep they are likely to make you feel more dizzy, and likewise if the effects last into the next day you will feel more dizzy.

Otherwise, things to try are natural remedies such as valerian root and 5HTP, melatonin can also be effective for some people and should'nt effect your dizzies as is naturally occuring.

Wishing you all a good nights sleep soon, xx