Everything You Need to Know About the Vestibular Migraine Diet
- By Healthy Planet
- Feb 9, 2024
A rare type of migraine marked by vertigo or dizziness is called a vestibular migraine, which is frequently misdiagnosed. It might all negatively impact your physical, emotional, and social well-being and can be alienating and disruptive.Â
There are often unanticipated obstacles on the path of living with vestibular migraines. The wavering nausea, dizziness, and disorientation may negatively impact your everyday life. Against this backdrop of complexity, nutrition plays a key role in effectively treating vestibular migraine illness.Â
The Vestibular Migraine Diet is a customized approach to food decisions intended to reduce the frequency and severity of these episodes. In this blog post, we’ll explore its principles.
What is a Vestibular Migraine Diet?
The Vestibular Migraine Diet is a planned eating strategy designed to help effectively manage vestibular migraines by identifying and removing possible triggers. This targeted diet focuses on elements that are particularly connected to vertigo and dizziness, as well as typical migraine diets that target headache/migraine triggers.
Comprehending this diet entails realizing the complex interactions between your food intake and how your vestibular system’s delicate balance is impacted. Developing a lifestyle that supports your well-being by limiting factors that may increase vestibular migraine symptoms is more important than simply avoiding alcohol and caffeine.
Impact of Diet on Vestibular Migraines
Managing vestibular migraine attacks requires an understanding of the complex relationship between your food and these events. A mix of physiological mechanisms and stimuli are involved in this interaction.
1. Trigger Foods
Foods and drinks with certain ingredients may trigger vestibular migraines. Individual differences in these triggers mean pinpointing your case’s exact perpetrators is crucial. Prolonged exposure to aged cheeses, processed meats, caffeine, alcohol, and chemicals like MSG are common triggers.
2. Neurotransmitter Imbalance
Certain meals may affect brain neurotransmitter levels and thus be a factor in vestibular migraines. Tyramine, for instance, may impact serotonin levels, which are involved in mood regulation and the avoidance of migraines. Comprehending these associations facilitates customizing your diet to reduce the likelihood of inducing migraines.
3. Variations in Blood Sugar
Vibrational migraines may also be impacted by abnormalities in blood sugar levels. Fast fluctuations in blood sugar brought on by skipping meals or eating items high in sugar have the potential to start an episode. One of the most critical aspects of managing migraines may be keeping blood sugar stable through balanced meals.
4. Dehydration
Dehydration is a common migraine cause, including vestibular migraines. Dehydration can worsen the symptoms of migraine by affecting blood flow, circulation, and electrolyte balance. Drinking enough water throughout the day for hydration is a straightforward and easy preventative measure.Â
5. Inflammatory Response
Vestibular migraines can occur in certain people as a component of a more generalized inflammatory reaction. Specific foods, particularly those heavy in processed carbohydrates and saturated fats, may trigger an inflammatory response. Vestibular migraine frequency and intensity may be decreased by following an anti-inflammatory diet high in fruits, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids.
People can decrease the impact of vestibular migraines by making educated dietary choices and being aware of these mechanisms.
Following a Vestibular Migraine Diet
The Vestibular Migraine Diet is a thoughtful process that begins with self-awareness.
Step 1: The first step involves keeping a detailed food diary to identify potential triggers specific to your case. Record what you eat, the timing of your meals, and any symptoms that may follow. This is helpful to rule out potential problematic things like aspartame, MSG, and sulphites.Â
Step 2: Phase two starts once you’ve gathered the above information. It’s time to work with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian specializing in vestibular migraines. If you don’t have access to one, or can’t afford one, we recommend doing some research online to formulate a healthy, sustainable diet that excludes triggers, but incorporates healthy whole foods.
Step 3: Phase involves building on this foundation and gradually eliminating certain foods can help you identify suspected trigger foods. If you feel a period of clarity, certain foods or ingredients can be reintroduced to see if they still impact you. This process requires patience, as triggers can vary widely among individuals.
Step 4: Last but not least, pay close attention to how your body responds to changes and adjust accordingly in phase four. Slowly reintroduce eliminated foods into your diet and check how your body responds. You can continue consuming food that does not tr ...