How to Track Vertigo Symptoms

Updated 29 Oct 2026

At a glance

A useful vertigo log records when each episode started, how long it lasted, what movement or position came first, and which ear, hearing, or headache symptoms came with it.
The NHS describes vertigo as a feeling that you or everything around you is spinning, with attacks that can last from a few seconds to hours (NHS).
Duration is one of the details clinicians use: definite Ménière's disease includes two or more spontaneous vertigo episodes lasting 20 minutes to 12 hours (NIDCD).
Balance problems and falls belong in the log too, because symptomatic vestibular dysfunction was linked to a 12-fold increase in the odds of falling in a US national survey (Agrawal et al., 2009).
Vertigo Journey is a phone app (iPhone and Android) for tracking vertigo that keeps episodes, triggers, sleep, medicines, and test dates in one dated history, and its insights show which habits and treatments come before calmer weeks.

Vertigo episodes are often over by the time anyone asks about them. Once the spinning stops, the exact start time, the head movement just before, and whether hearing changed during the episode are easy to lose.

This guide explains how to track vertigo symptoms in a short, repeatable format: what to record during and after an episode, how to log duration and triggers, how to note hearing, ear, and headache symptoms, how to track balance and falls, and how to follow treatment changes over weeks.

What vertigo symptom tracking is and what it covers

Vertigo symptom tracking means recording each episode in the same short, dated format: when it started, how long it lasted, how strong it was, what came just before, and what came with it. Using the same fields every time lets one week, one trigger, or one treatment period be compared with another.

The NHS describes vertigo as a feeling that you or everything around you is spinning, enough to affect your balance, and notes that it goes beyond feeling dizzy. An attack can last from a few seconds to hours, and severe vertigo can last for many days or months (NHS).

Vertigo is a symptom with several possible causes. The NHS lists inner ear problems as the most common causes, including benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), labyrinthitis, vestibular neuritis, and Ménière's disease. It also lists migraine and some medicines, and notes that sometimes the cause is unknown (NHS). Each cause looks different in timing, triggers, and the symptoms that come with the spinning, so those are the details to write down. If you are unsure whether what you feel is spinning or lightheadedness, see vertigo vs lightheadedness: what to track while comparing.

In Vertigo Journey, the Daily check-in records spin intensity, duration, triggers, nausea, and balance limits in the same guided fields each time.

What to record during and after a vertigo episode

An episode entry works best when it is short and uses the same fields each time.

The vertigo episode log below, from Vertigo Journey (part of Health Journey Labs), lists the core fields and why each one helps.

Field	What to write	Why it helps
Start time	Clock time and what you were doing	Shows morning, night, or post-meal clusters
Duration	Seconds, minutes, or hours, as close as you can	Duration is one of the details used to tell causes apart
Type of sensation	Room spinning, you spinning, rocking, or unsteady	Separates true spinning from lightheadedness or imbalance
Strength	0–10, or mild, moderate, severe	Lets you compare episodes over weeks
Just before	Head movement, rolling in bed, standing, busy visual space, none	Shows whether episodes are positional
Ear and hearing	Muffled hearing, ringing, fullness, which ear	Ear symptoms with episodes are an important detail for an ENT
Other symptoms	Headache, light sensitivity, nausea, vomiting	Links episodes to migraine or other patterns
Function	What you stopped, near-falls, falls, time until steady	Shows the real impact on daily life

Sources: NHS, NIDCD, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) BPPV guideline.

In Vertigo Journey, the Daily check-in has guided fields for spin intensity, duration, triggers, nausea, and balance limits, so the core of this table takes a minute to fill. The Flare Tracker marks an episode that is clearly worse than your usual.

How to log the timing and duration of vertigo episodes

If possible, glance at a clock when the spinning starts and again when it stops. If you cannot, write a range such as "under a minute," "about 20 minutes," or "most of the afternoon."

The timing guide below, from Vertigo Journey, shows how duration and triggers can be recorded together.

What you notice	What to record	Related detail in published sources
Short spins when rolling over, lying down, or looking up	The exact movement, side, and seconds of spinning	BPPV: specific head movements cause vertigo (NHS)
Episodes of 20 minutes or more, without a clear movement trigger	Duration, hearing changes, ringing, ear fullness, which ear	Ménière's: episodes of 20 minutes to 12 hours with hearing symptoms (NIDCD)
Spinning lasting days after a cold or flu	Date of illness, start of spinning, day-by-day strength	Labyrinthitis: inner ear infection caused by a cold or flu virus (NHS)
Episodes with headache or light sensitivity	Headache timing before, during, or after the spin	Migraine is listed among other causes (NHS)

Sources: NHS and NIDCD.

With Vertigo Journey, each Daily check-in is dated and time-stamped, so the start time of an episode is recorded without extra effort.

How to track vertigo triggers and head positions

A trigger note answers one question: what happened in the minute before the spinning started? Common answers include rolling over in bed, lying back, looking up, bending down, turning the head quickly, standing up, or being in a visually busy place such as a supermarket aisle. "No movement" is also a useful answer. If episodes tend to start when you roll over or sit up in the morning, see vertigo bed-roll onset mornings: what to log.

Write the side as well. "Rolled onto the right side" carries more information than "rolled over," because positional vertigo is often tied to one side. The AAO-HNS guideline describes the Dix-Hallpike maneuver, in which the head is turned 45° to one side, as the test used to diagnose posterior canal BPPV (Bhattacharyya et al., 2017). A side noted in your log can help your clinician decide where to start.

Context over the previous day or two matters too. Useful context lines include:

Sleep: hours and quality of the night before.
Recent illness: cold, flu, or ear infection, with dates.
Stress and anxiety: the NHS notes that anxiety can make vertigo worse (NHS).
New medicines: the NHS lists some medicines as possible causes of vertigo (NHS).

Tip: record the trigger as a movement plus a side ("looked up, head back") rather than a guess at the cause, so the note stays accurate even if the diagnosis changes later.

In Vertigo Journey, the trigger fields in the Daily check-in record movement, position, and context for each episode. A few weeks of entries make it clear whether one movement or one kind of day comes before most of your episodes, which can point to a small change in how you move or plan the day.

How to track hearing, ear fullness, and headache alongside vertigo

Symptoms that come with the spinning are as important as the spinning itself. Hearing loss, ringing in the ear, a feeling of fullness or pressure, headache, and light sensitivity each point clinicians in a different direction.

The NIDCD describes Ménière's disease as an inner ear disorder that causes severe dizziness (vertigo), ringing in the ears (tinnitus), hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear. It usually affects only one ear, but in 15% to 25% of people with the disorder both ears may be affected. Approximately 615,000 people in the United States have Ménière's disease (NIDCD).

For each episode, note:

Whether hearing changed, and in which ear.
Whether ringing or fullness came before, during, or after the spinning. The NIDCD notes that attacks may come on suddenly or after a short period of tinnitus or muffled hearing (NIDCD).
Whether hearing returned to your usual level afterward, and how long that took.
Headache timing and features: one side or both, throbbing or pressure, light or sound sensitivity.
Nausea and vomiting, with how many times you vomited if it happened.

With Vertigo Journey, hearing changes, ear fullness, and headache can be added to each episode in the Daily check-in, and custom symptoms let you name the ear or a specific sensation. My Labs holds hearing test and imaging dates, so results can be compared with how you felt in the weeks before and after. Over a few weeks you can see whether hearing symptoms usually come before the spinning, which is a pattern worth bringing to an ENT.

How to track balance, falls, and daily function with vertigo

Vertigo affects what you can do, and that impact is part of the clinical picture. A function note records what you stopped, changed, or avoided because of an episode or because balance stayed off afterward.

Falls deserve a separate line. In data from the 2001–2004 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 35.4% of US adults aged 40 years and older had vestibular dysfunction, and participants with vestibular dysfunction who reported dizziness had a 12-fold increase in the odds of falling (Agrawal et al., 2009).

Useful function fields include:

Near-falls and falls, with where they happened (stairs, shower, getting up at night).
How long you felt unsteady after the spinning stopped.
Activities stopped: driving, work tasks, exercise, childcare, or errands.
Aids used: holding a rail, a walking stick, sitting to dress.

In Vertigo Journey, the Daily check-in includes balance limits and how the day went, so function is recorded on quiet days as well as episode days. The Weekly Goals tool lets you set one small aim, such as turning on a night light or getting up in stages, and see whether it held. Looking back over a month shows whether near-falls became less frequent after a change in routine.

How to track vertigo treatment, exercises, and medication changes

Treatment for vertigo depends on the cause, so the log should record what was tried, when it started, and what changed afterward. The NHS notes that most people with vertigo get better without treatment, that a GP might prescribe antibiotics for an infection, that exercises may be given to correct balance, and that antihistamines can sometimes help with symptoms (NHS).

For BPPV, the AAO-HNS guideline recommends treating posterior canal BPPV with a canalith repositioning procedure, offers vestibular rehabilitation as an option, and recommends against routinely treating BPPV with vestibular suppressant medicines such as antihistamines or benzodiazepines (Bhattacharyya et al., 2017).

For each treatment, record (Vertigo Journey checklist):

The date it started, the dose or routine, and who advised it.
Exercise sessions: which exercise, how many repetitions, and how you felt during and after.
Repositioning maneuvers: the date, who performed it, and episodes in the following days.
The date you stopped or changed anything, and the reason.

Follow-up timing is part of the plan. The AAO-HNS guideline recommends that clinicians reassess patients within 1 month after an initial period of observation or treatment to document whether symptoms resolved or persisted (Bhattacharyya et al., 2017). A dated log covering that month makes the reassessment more concrete.

With Vertigo Journey, My Meds records medicine names and timing, so insights can relate a start date or dose change to the episodes that followed. Weekly Goals can hold an exercise routine your clinician gave you. Side by side, your weeks show whether episode frequency or duration changed in the weeks after a treatment began.

How to turn a vertigo log into a summary for your doctor

A one-page summary of the past few weeks fits a short appointment better than a long diary. The NHS notes that a GP will ask about your symptoms to try to find out the cause, may do a simple test that involves moving quickly from sitting to lying, and may refer you to a specialist (NHS). If you are waiting for that referral, see what to track while waiting for the vertigo specialist.

A clear summary includes:

The number of episodes in the period and the typical duration.
The most common trigger or position, with the side.
Ear, hearing, and headache symptoms, and when they occurred relative to the spinning.
Falls or near-falls and the activities you stopped.
Treatments tried, with dates and what changed.
Two or three questions you want answered.

In Vertigo Journey, My Care Team holds a profile for each clinician, upcoming appointments, and notes for each visit, so questions written during the week are ready on the day and answers can be recorded afterward. A few weeks of entries make it clear which patterns repeated across the weeks before the visit, so the appointment can start from those patterns.

Warning signs that need urgent care

Most vertigo can wait for a routine visit, but some combinations need same-day or emergency care. Act on the signs below first and log afterward.

The NHS advises calling 999 or going to A&E (the emergency department) if you have vertigo and any of the following (NHS):

Double vision or loss of vision.
Hearing loss.
Trouble speaking.
Leg or arm weakness, numbness, or tingling.

The NHS advises an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 if you have vertigo with a severe headache, are being sick or feel very sick, or have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold, or shivery (NHS). In the US, call 911 or go to the emergency department for the emergency signs above. The NHS also advises not driving yourself to the emergency department.

After urgent care, add the date and what was found to your log, so the next appointment has the full picture. With Vertigo Journey, the Daily Journal can hold that visit summary in a few lines.

How Vertigo Journey can help

A notebook can hold vertigo entries. The harder step is relating them over weeks: seeing whether episodes follow a certain movement, a short night, a stressful day, a salty meal, or a treatment change, and whether they are becoming shorter or less frequent.

Vertigo Journey is a personal vertigo tracker from Health Journey Labs on the App Store and Google Play. It records each episode with its duration, trigger, ear symptoms, and balance limits, together with sleep, stress, medicines, and test dates. Its insights show which habits and treatments come before calmer or harder weeks. Learn explains the condition in plain words, and the AI companions, such as Clara, answer questions when a new symptom or result is hard to read. Below is what you can use and how each part helps:

Daily check-in — A short guided pass across symptoms, mood, nutrition, sleep, exercise, meds, and external factors, including spin intensity, duration, triggers, nausea, and balance limits, so links you would not remember on your own show up side by side.
Daily Journal — Freer notes, including voice when screens feel unsteady, that give insights detail a score alone cannot show.
Flare Tracker — Mark an episode clearly worse than usual, so insights can separate a one-off spike from a repeating pattern.
My Meds — Medicine names and timing, so insights can relate a start date or dose change to episode frequency and duration.
My Labs — Result dates for hearing tests, imaging, and other workups, compared with how you felt in the weeks before and after.
Weekly Goals — Set one small aim, such as balance exercises, and see whether it held and whether episodes changed.
Learn — Short education topics on vertigo themes such as positional triggers, balance, sleep, and visit preparation.
AI companions — Clara and specialist companions already see your logged history, which helps with visit wording or questions after a new diagnosis.
My Care Team — A profile for each clinician, plus upcoming appointments and notes for each visit, used before, during, and after appointments.
Doctor Report — Two views: the Appointment Planning Report helps you prepare what to ask, and Generate Report, opened from a saved doctor, builds a dated summary of your recent progress for that doctor.
My Assessments — Structured check-ins that give insights more context about you across weeks.
Food Tracker — Meal and drink lines when salt, alcohol, or caffeine is something you and your clinician are watching.
Period Tracker — Cycle dates, so insights can show whether episodes or headaches cluster at a certain point in the cycle.
Weight Tracker — Weight entries when weight is part of what you and your clinician are watching.

Everything you log builds one history. Guided forms include the key questions, and you can add custom symptoms when you need your own labels. Vertigo Journey is free to download.

We make Vertigo Journey at Health Journey Labs. This guide is educational and does not replace care from your clinicians; for diagnosis and treatment decisions, work with your treating clinicians.

Sources

FAQ

What is the best way to track vertigo symptoms?

Record each episode in the same short format: start time, duration, strength, what came just before, and any ear, hearing, or headache symptoms. Add one line on what you had to stop. Same-day entries are best.

With Vertigo Journey, the Daily check-in holds those fields for every episode and on quieter days. Looking back over a month shows whether episodes cluster around one movement, a time of day, or short nights.

What should I write down during a vertigo attack?

Your safety comes first, so sit or lie down and wait until the spinning settles. Then write the start time, an estimate of how long it lasted, and the movement or position just before. Add any ear or hearing changes.

In Vertigo Journey, the Daily Journal accepts voice notes, which helps when looking at a screen feels unsteady. A short spoken note keeps the sequence of symptoms, and insights can later compare that sequence across episodes to see whether it repeats.

How do I know if my vertigo is positional?

Positional vertigo is brought on by specific head movements, such as rolling over in bed, lying back, or looking up. If your log shows that most episodes start within seconds of the same movement, that is a pattern to bring to your clinician.

With Vertigo Journey, recording the movement and the side for each episode in the Daily check-in builds that pattern over weeks. Side by side, your weeks show whether one movement or one side comes before most episodes, which gives your clinician a clear starting point.

Should I track vertigo on days when I feel fine?

Yes. A short note on quieter days shows your baseline balance, energy, and sleep, which makes harder days easier to interpret. Without those days, every episode looks unpredictable, and it is harder to tell what helped.

With Vertigo Journey, a quick Daily check-in on calm days gives insights the contrast they need. After a few weeks you can show what calmer weeks had in common, such as more sleep or fewer stressful days, which suggests habits worth keeping.

Can stress or anxiety cause vertigo episodes?

The NHS notes that anxiety can make vertigo worse. Episodes can also cause anxiety, especially if they come without warning. Recording stress and anxiety on the same days as episodes helps you and your clinician see which comes first.

In Vertigo Journey, emotional state is part of the Daily check-in, and the AI companions already see your logged history if you want to talk through a hard week. A few weeks of entries make it clear whether high-stress days come before episodes.

Can food or salt affect vertigo?

For Ménière's disease, the NIDCD lists limiting dietary salt to 1,500–2,000 milligrams per day, along with a diuretic, as an option that may help control symptoms. For other causes, the link to food is less clear. If your clinician has asked about salt, alcohol, or caffeine, a short note on meals is useful.

With Vertigo Journey, the Food Tracker records meals and drinks on the days you choose to log them. Within a month you can see how salty meals, alcohol, or skipped meals lines up with the episode days that followed.

Why does my clinician ask about hearing and ear fullness with vertigo?

Hearing loss, ringing, and fullness in one ear alongside vertigo point to certain inner ear conditions. The NIDCD describes Ménière's disease as causing vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness in the ear, usually in one ear.

In Vertigo Journey, ear symptoms can be logged on each episode in the Daily check-in, and custom symptoms let you name the ear. Over a few weeks you can see whether ear symptoms come before the spinning, which is a useful pattern for an ENT appointment.

How should I track vertigo exercises?

Write the exercise, the number of repetitions, the date, and how you felt during and afterward. Some exercises bring on brief dizziness by design, so note whether that settled and how quickly. Consistency over several weeks is what makes the record useful.

With Vertigo Journey, Weekly Goals can hold the routine your clinician gave you and show whether it held each week. Looking back over a month shows whether episode frequency changed in the weeks you kept the routine.

Should I track vertigo medicines and side effects?

Yes. Record the medicine, dose, start date, and any side effects such as drowsiness. The AAO-HNS guideline recommends against routinely treating BPPV with vestibular suppressant medicines, so your clinician may want to know exactly what you take and when. Medicine decisions stay with your clinician.

In Vertigo Journey, My Meds records medicine names and timing. Before long you can see how a start date or dose change lines up with the episodes that followed, so you can see how treatment fits with everything else you logged.

How long should I track vertigo before an appointment?

Two to four weeks of short entries give your clinician a pattern to review. The AAO-HNS guideline recommends reassessment within 1 month after an initial period of observation or treatment for BPPV, so a month of entries matches that follow-up window well.

With Vertigo Journey, the Doctor Report can build a dated summary of those weeks from a saved doctor in My Care Team. Side by side, your weeks show which patterns repeated, so the visit can start from what happened rather than from memory.

What if vertigo makes me afraid of falling?

Fear of falling is worth recording, along with any near-falls and the places they happen. Practical changes such as a night light, getting up in stages, and support in the shower may help, and your clinician can advise on balance therapy.

In Vertigo Journey, the Daily Journal can hold near-fall notes, and Weekly Goals can track one safety change at a time. A few weeks of entries make it clear whether near-falls became less frequent after the change, which can make daily movement feel safer.

When does vertigo need emergency care?

The NHS advises emergency care if vertigo comes with double vision or loss of vision, hearing loss, trouble speaking, or leg or arm weakness, numbness, or tingling. In the US, call 911. A severe headache, being very sick, or a high temperature with vertigo needs an urgent appointment.

Emergency signs come first. After urgent care, a few lines in the Vertigo Journey Daily Journal record what was found, so insights and your next appointment include that episode in context.

How private is a vertigo symptom log?

A vertigo log can hold falls, driving limits, hearing changes, and medicines, which is personal detail. Treat any digital log as private, and on paper, keep the notebook somewhere only you control.

The app's own security screen lists Vertigo Journey as HIPAA-ready and GDPR compliant, with AES-256 encryption for your data. You choose what to share with partners or clinicians.