A trigger is something that may set off a spin or make one more likely. Triggers depend a lot on the kind of vestibular condition you have, and they differ from person to person. Tracking is how you find your own.
Movement and position
- Lying down, rolling over in bed, sitting up or getting up
- Looking up, or a sudden head turn
- Being driven, boats, trains, lifts (passive motion)
- Busy visual movement: scrolling, crowds, traffic, patterned floors, supermarket aisles
Position triggers are typical of BPPV. Visual motion is a common problem in vestibular migraine and PPPD.
Diet
- Salty meals, which many people with Meniere's disease find important
- Skipped meals
- Caffeine and alcohol for some people
- For vestibular migraine, foods some people react to, such as aged cheese, cured meats or MSG
Sleep
- Short or broken sleep
- Big changes to your usual bedtime or wake time, such as jet lag
Weather and environment
- Drops in air pressure, often before a storm
- Bright or flickering light, loud noise and strong smells
Body and mind
- Stress, anxiety, and the drop after a stressful period
- Hormonal changes, such as around a period
- Illness, such as a cold or flu
Learning your own triggers
A trigger does not have to cause a spin every time. Often it is the combination that matters. That is the bucket idea: several smaller triggers on the same day can add up.
In VertigoMe you can:
- Log a trigger yourself whenever you suspect one, from the Trigger quick log or the Triggers step of the spin log.
- Let some be added for you. If you connect a watch, a food log or allow location for weather, the app can add things like poor sleep, high sodium or a pressure change automatically. These are checked hourly against your recent days, not the moment they happen.
- Look at the Insights tab after you have logged a few spins, to see which triggers turn up most often before your spins.
Movement triggers such as rolling over or looking up are always logged by you. No sensor can tell the app you looked up.
This is general information only. It cannot tell you what is causing your symptoms. Please speak to your GP, ENT, neurologist or audiologist about your own situation.
