Tired, Dizzy, and Off Your Game? Your Inner Ear Might Need a Reset
Understanding the Link Between Seasonal Changes, Balance, and Your Inner Ear
I don’t know if you’ve stepped outside lately—but it is cold out there!
Believe it or not, one of the most common things we start seeing this time of year—right alongside seasonal sniffles—is a spike in vertigo and inner ear issues.
Vertigo is that disorienting sensation that either you’re spinning, or the room is spinning around you. But it’s not always that dramatic. Vestibular (inner ear) issues can also show up as:
Feeling dizzy or off-balance
Leaning slightly while walking
Difficulty focusing when you're on the move
A general sense of brain fog or being “off”
Almost everyone I see with vestibular symptoms says the same thing: By the end of the day, I’m just exhausted. Many experience headaches, neck or shoulder tension, and feel like they just want to close their eyes and lie down.
So… what causes this?
As seasons shift, so does your environment—pollen, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure—any of these can trigger an inflammatory response in your body. One common culprit? Allergies.
When allergies flare up, they can cause inflammation in the inner ear, specifically around the nerve that helps coordinate your balance and spatial awareness. And that inflammation can really mess with your system.
Let me explain.
Try this:
Stand in front of a mirror. Focus your eyes on your nose and gently turn your head side to side. Notice how your eyes stay fixed on your reflection? That’s your vestibular system in action.
When everything’s working well, your inner ear detects the speed and direction of your head movement, and your brain automatically tells your eyes to move in the opposite direction—so your gaze stays stable.
It’s a finely tuned system that runs on autopilot… until inflammation interferes. When that coordination breaks down, your brain has to work harder just to keep you oriented. And that gets tiring. Fast.
Many people instinctively tighten up their neck and shoulder muscles in an effort to feel more “in control.” But all that clenching just leads to even more tension, discomfort, and fatigue.
The good news? It’s treatable.
While vestibular hypofunction (that’s the clinical term for this type of dysfunction) often improves with antihistamines or anti-inflammatory treatments—especially when inflammation is affecting the nerve to the inner ear—some symptoms can linger. You might still feel “off,” disconnected, or stuck with tension through your neck and shoulders. That ongoing discomfort can be both physically and mentally exhausting.
The good news? Physical therapy can help. Treatment often includes specific exercises to re-train the coordination between your eyes and head, improve your balance, and release tension through targeted manual therapy and postural work.
Try This: Breathing for Balance
When your vestibular system is out of sync—like during or after a bout of vertigo—your nervous system can go into overdrive. Your brain works overtime to make sense of conflicting signals from your eyes, ears, and body, which can leave you feeling overstimulated, anxious, or just plain overwhelmed.
One simple but powerful tool to calm the chaos? Breathwork.
Intentional breathing techniques help regulate your nervous system, lower that heightened sensory response, and support recovery. Just a few minutes of slow, controlled breathing can help you feel more grounded, centered, and in control.
If you’re recovering from vestibular issues or noticing that your anxiety shows up physically, breathwork can be a great first step to help you feel more like yourself again.
But when symptoms linger—or when the tension in your neck and shoulders refuses to go away—physical therapy can help bridge the gap.
At The Well Co., we use targeted vestibular rehab techniques to help retrain your eye and head coordination, improve your balance, and restore postural control. We’ll also work hands-on to release tension in your neck and shoulders so you feel clearer, steadier, and more like yourself again.
Feeling dizzy, off-balance, or tense through your neck and shoulders?
You don’t have to figure it out alone. Book a Discovery Call with one of our physical therapists to learn what’s going on and what your next best step might be.