The most effective way to “reset” vertigo is a simple head maneuver that guides displaced crystals in your inner ear back to where they belong. About 77% of people get relief after a single session, and the technique takes less than five minutes. The specific maneuver depends on which ear is affected, but all of them follow the same principle: using gravity to move tiny particles out of a canal where they don’t belong.
Why Vertigo Needs “Resetting”
The most common type of vertigo, called BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), happens when small calcium carbonate crystals break loose inside your inner ear. These crystals normally sit in a structure that senses gravity, but when they drift into the fluid-filled semicircular canals (the tubes your body uses to detect rotation), they slosh around every time you move your head. That fluid movement sends false signals to your brain, telling it you’re spinning when you’re not.
BPPV has a distinctive pattern. The spinning lasts 20 to 30 seconds, almost always under two minutes, and it stops if you hold still. It’s triggered by specific head movements: rolling over in bed, looking up, bending forward. If your vertigo is constant, lasts hours or days, or persists even when you’re completely still, it’s not BPPV. Constant vertigo with nausea and difficulty walking points to either an inner ear nerve problem or, less commonly, something more serious that needs medical evaluation.
The Epley Maneuver
The Epley maneuver is the most widely recommended home treatment. It works by rotating your head through a series of positions that use gravity to guide the loose crystals out of the semicircular canal and back into the chamber where they came from. A single session resolves symptoms in roughly 77% of people. For those who need more than one attempt, repeating the maneuver up to three times a day until symptoms have been gone for 24 hours is a common recommendation.
Here’s the sequence for the right ear (reverse all directions if your left ear is the problem):
- Step 1: Sit upright on a bed with your legs extended in front of you. Turn your head 45 degrees to the right.
- Step 2: Keeping your head turned, lie back quickly so your shoulders are on the bed and your head is slightly reclined. Stay here for 30 seconds or until the dizziness stops.
- Step 3: Turn your head 90 degrees to the left (without lifting it) so you’re now looking 45 degrees to the left. Hold for 30 seconds.
- Step 4: Roll your body onto your left side while turning your head another 90 degrees so you’re facing the floor at a 45-degree angle. Hold for 30 seconds.
- Step 5: Slowly sit back up, keeping your head turned slightly left.
The dizziness you feel during the maneuver is actually a good sign. It means the crystals are moving. If one particular position triggers intense spinning, that confirms you’re treating the correct ear.
How to Know Which Ear Is Affected
The affected ear is usually the side that triggers vertigo when you turn toward it. If rolling to your right in bed makes the room spin, your right ear is likely the problem. A healthcare provider can confirm this with a test called the Dix-Hallpike, where they quickly lower you backward with your head turned to one side and watch your eye movements.
The Half-Somersault Maneuver
Some people find the Epley difficult to do alone, especially on a bed where they might feel like they’ll fall. The half-somersault maneuver, developed by Dr. Carol Foster at the University of Colorado, can be done on the floor and doesn’t require lying flat.
For the right ear:
- Step 1: Kneel on the floor and tilt your chin up toward the ceiling briefly.
- Step 2: Put your head down into a somersault position (top of your head toward the floor, chin tucked).
- Step 3: Turn your head to face your right elbow. Wait for any dizziness to stop.
- Step 4: Raise your head quickly so it’s level with your back (still turned toward the right elbow). Wait again for dizziness to settle.
- Step 5: Raise your head fully upright, keeping it turned slightly to the right. Then sit back on your heels.
Wait 15 minutes before repeating. This maneuver is popular because it’s easier to do without a partner and doesn’t require a bed, but it follows the same logic as the Epley: guiding the crystals through the canal using gravity.
The Semont Maneuver
The Semont maneuver uses faster, more abrupt movements to dislodge crystals. It’s particularly useful when the crystals are stuck to a structure inside the canal rather than floating freely, which happens in a minority of cases.
For the right ear: sit upright on the edge of a bed and turn your head 45 degrees to the left. Then quickly lie down on your right side and stay there for 30 seconds or until dizziness fades. Next, move quickly through the upright position to lie on your left side, keeping your head in the same position (your face should end up angled toward the bed). After 30 seconds, slowly return to sitting.
The speed matters here. The rapid transition from one side to the other is what flings the crystals free.
Brandt-Daroff Exercises for Lingering Symptoms
If repositioning maneuvers reduce but don’t fully eliminate your symptoms, Brandt-Daroff exercises can help your brain recalibrate. These aren’t designed to move crystals. Instead, they train your vestibular system to tolerate movement without triggering vertigo.
Sit on the edge of a bed, then quickly lie on one side with your nose pointed upward at a 45-degree angle. Stay for 30 seconds, sit up, then repeat on the other side. Most guidelines suggest doing several repetitions at least twice a day. These exercises may temporarily make you dizzy, which is part of the process. Over days to weeks, the episodes become less intense as your brain adapts.
What to Do After a Repositioning Maneuver
For the rest of the day after performing a maneuver, avoid bending forward. For several days afterward, don’t sleep on the side that was triggering your symptoms. Sleeping slightly propped up on the first night can also help prevent the crystals from drifting back into the canal before they’ve had time to settle.
Some people feel slightly off-balance or “foggy” for a day or two even after successful treatment. This is normal. Your brain has been receiving faulty signals and needs a short adjustment period. If full-blown spinning episodes return, repeat the maneuver.
When Repositioning Maneuvers Don’t Work
If you’ve tried these maneuvers consistently for a week or two without improvement, a few things could be going on. You may be treating the wrong ear, the crystals may be in a different canal than expected, or your vertigo may not be BPPV at all.
BPPV affects the posterior canal in most cases, and the maneuvers above target that canal. Less commonly, crystals end up in the lateral (horizontal) canal, which requires different repositioning techniques that a vestibular specialist can perform.
Vertigo that is constant rather than triggered by position changes, lasts hours or days rather than seconds, or comes with new hearing loss, numbness, slurred speech, double vision, or difficulty walking is not BPPV. These symptoms suggest either vestibular neuritis (an inner ear nerve inflammation that resolves over weeks) or, in rare cases, a problem in the brain that needs urgent evaluation. The key distinction: BPPV stops spinning when you hold still. Other causes of vertigo do not.