All my clients know this fact: you can’t change your ears, but you can change how your brain listens to them. Vestibular rehabilitation relies on this principle: by giving you exercises to challenge your vestibular system, we can decrease (and even eliminate!) your dizziness, nausea, brain fog and all the other symptoms that come with a vestibular deficit.
At the end of the day the goal is to keep your symptoms under control, but this relies on you continuing to exercise your brain. I get that you’re busy and doing daily exercises is hard to do. But what if you could do them on a daily basis without noticing that you’re doing a vestibular exercise?
Devon’s Top Ten List: Vestibular Exercises for Life
Check out flowers, airplanes and other interesting things while out for a walk - One of the easiest ways to keep your vestibular system stimulated is by simply looking around while you’re walking. This does several things: it separates your head from your body movements, it forces you to walk straight while putting your eyes on something else and it gets your semicircular canals firing.
Stand on one foot while brushing your teeth - Balance? Check. Movement? Check. Something you do twice per day? Check. It’s perfect!
Play on the playground - When you’re with your kids, play with them! Get on the swings, walk on the wobbly bridge, go down the slide - all of these things are great and fun ways to challenge all aspects of your vestibular system.
Walk on logs at the beach - I love doing this. I play a game with myself - how many logs can I walk on without touching the “lava” (aka sand)? My kids really get into this one too. It challenges your dynamic balance and forces you to look ahead a bit to plan your next movement.
Dance - Ok, I’m a terrible dancer. The beauty is, my kids don’t care! We shake it in the kitchen to the Beatles, 90’s rock (because I’m raising them right) and anything Disney. We spin, we jump, and we have a great time.
Go on a scavenger hunt at the grocery store - When you have those things on your list you don’t typically buy, turn it into a game. Set your watch and time how long it takes for you to find the extra hot horseradish, low sodium soy sauce and cinnamon sticks. When you’ve found your items, stop and take stock of your symptoms, then actively settle them down.
Try that yoga/pilates/Tai Chi/aquacize/rock climbing/pickleball/whatever class - Trying new things is the best way to keep things stimulated and challenged. Always push on the boundaries of your comfort zone!
Relax in a hammock/rocking chair with a book - Picture yourself on a beach, relaxing in a hammock with a mojito and a great page turner. The gentle rocking added to the reading is a subtle way to keep things working just a little harder.
Go for a bike ride - The saying is true about riding a bike: we don’t forget how to do it. Balance is challenged and things go by you a little faster than normally, challenging your brain to match the input from your visual and vestibular systems.
Play physical board games - Games like Charades and Twister puts your body in different positions, and they’re fun! This is also a great way to get your gravity sensors going, not just your semicircular canals.
This is what I do! What do you do on a daily basis to help you keep control of your symptoms?
If you’re suffering from a vestibular condition, book an assessment online or give us a call at (778) 630-8800.