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It is not a vertigo that makes the room spin.
\nIt\u2019s something more subtle, more treacherous: heavy head, unsteady steps, a feeling of \u201cfloating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many are told:\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s normal, it\u2019s age.\u201d<\/em>
\nBut as a geriatrician,\u00a0I, Dr. Luis Luna<\/strong>, have seen too many patients improve to accept that phrase as fate.<\/p>\n\n
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Dizziness and a heavy head\u00a0are not a mandatory part of aging<\/strong>.
\nIn most cases they are related to\u00a0daily habits<\/strong>\u00a0that seem harmless, but that disrupt balance, circulation and the way the brain interprets movement.<\/p>\nThink of your balance as an\u00a0orchestra<\/strong>: hydration, breathing, inner ear, blood pressure, neck muscles\u2026
\nIf one is out of tune, the whole thing loses harmony and dizziness appears.<\/p>\n\n
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Let\u2019s review, one by one, the\u00a07 most frequent mistakes<\/strong>\u00a0I see in consultation and how to correct them with simple but powerful changes.<\/p>\nMistake 7: Going to bed right after dinner<\/h2>\n
Many older adults have dinner, watch television for a while and, in less than 20 minutes, they are already in bed.<\/p>\n
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It seems like a quiet habit, but it has consequences:<\/p>\n
\n- The stomach is still working and needs a lot of blood to digest.<\/li>\n
- By going to bed so early,\u00a0circulation is redistributed to the abdomen<\/strong>\u00a0and momentarily less blood reaches the brain.<\/li>\n
- The next morning the heavy head appears and the instability when getting up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I remember Don Alfredo, 72 years old.
\nHe would get dizzy\u00a0just when he got up<\/strong>, the rest of the day he was fine. The problem wasn\u2019t the morning, it was the night: he had dinner and went to bed right away.
\nJust\u00a0by waiting 2 hours between dinner and sleep<\/strong>, her episodes of dizziness were drastically reduced.<\/p>\nSleeping immediately after eating also increases the risk of\u00a0silent reflux<\/strong>, which irritates structures near nerves involved in balance.<\/p>\nWhat to do<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Have dinner earlier whenever you can.<\/li>\n
- Allow\u00a0at least 2 hours<\/strong>\u00a0between dinner and bedtime.<\/li>\n
- If you feel very sleepy after eating, take a short nap sitting down, not lying down.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Mistake 6: Sitting for hours without moving your neck or changing your gaze<\/h2>\n
\u201cDoctor, I hardly do anything, how am I going to get dizzy?\u201d
\nPrecisely for that reason.<\/p>\n
After the age of 60, the body tolerates\u00a0very poorly long periods of immobility<\/strong>, especially with the neck slightly tilted forward (television, cell phone, reading).<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s the matter?<\/p>\n
\n- The neck muscles tighten like a hard rope.<\/li>\n
- Blood flow to the brain is reduced.<\/li>\n
- Position sensors in the neck send confusing signals to the balance system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Do\u00f1a Marta described her feeling like this:\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s as if I had a brick inside my head.\u201d<\/em>
\nHe spent more than 6 hours a day in the same armchair, with his neck forward.<\/p>\nWhat to do<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Every\u00a030\u201340 minutes<\/strong>, get up for at least 2 minutes.<\/li>\n
- Move your shoulders back, gently turn your neck from side to side, and look into the distance through the window.<\/li>\n
- Avoid spending hours looking down (cell phone, tissue, book). Raise whatever you\u2019re using to eye level.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/p>\n
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Mistake 5: Almost not drinking water and living on coffee and infusions<\/h2>\n
Many tell me:
\n\u201cDoctor, I\u2019m not dehydrated, I drink coffee all day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The problem is that\u00a0the body doesn\u2019t count coffee as water<\/strong>.
\nAfter 60:<\/p>\n\n- we have\u00a0less thirst,<\/strong><\/li>\n
- the blood becomes a little thicker when there is a lack of water,<\/li>\n
- The pressure becomes unstable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Result: dizziness when getting up, cloudy vision, weak steps.<\/p>\n
Excess coffee, strong tea or diuretic infusions\u00a0worsens dehydration<\/strong>\u00a0and, if you also take blood pressure medication or diuretics, dizziness multiplies.<\/p>\nWhat to do<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Keep to a simple goal:\u00a06\u20138 glasses of water a day<\/strong>, spread out.<\/li>\n
- For each cup of coffee or tea, try adding\u00a0a glass of water<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Have a small bottle in sight: what you see, you drink.<\/li>\n
- If you get up a lot at night to go to the bathroom, concentrate most of the water in the morning and afternoon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Mistake 4: Breathing shallowly and quickly all day<\/h2>\n
You don\u2019t have to feel \u201cshort of breath\u201d to breathe badly.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re focused, worried, or sitting for a long time:<\/p>\n
\n- You breathe short, from the top of your chest,<\/li>\n
- the diaphragm hardly moves,<\/li>\n
- the neck and shoulders do a job that does not correspond to them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This generates:<\/p>\n