Why am I feeling so dizzy getting out of bed in the morning?

For the last few weeks I've felt dizzy when I get out of bed in the morning and it can also happen if I look at the ceiling. These dizzy spells don't last very long, probably less than a minute, but I'm getting a bit fed up with it and my husband is now saying it could be a sign of something serious. Should I try to see someone at the surgery? I don't want to bother them if it's something trivial and is likely to go away of its own accord.

- Dr Rosemary Leonard

Your symptoms suggest you have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, usually abbreviated to BPPV.

Our sense of movement and balance is controlled by a system inside the inner ear of tiny fluid-filled channels, including a chamber - the labyrinth - that connects with three semicircular canals.

The canals are lined with hairlike sensors that send messages about head movements to the brain. The vestibule also contains tiny crystals and BPPV occurs when a tiny fragment of crystal moves into one of the semicircular canals. This then brushes against the hair sensors, which send false messages to the brain that the head has moved.

Though it can appear after a minor blow to the head, often there is no obvious cause for BBPV, which tends to occur mainly in those over 40. Diagnosis can usually be made from symptoms alone and confirmed by moving the head in specific directions, which triggers dizziness.

Though BPPV often clears by itself, this can take several weeks or months, but it can often be cured by a series of four specific movements of the head, known as the Epley manoeuvre, which moves the crystal fragments out from the canal and back into the vestibule.

You can do this yourself at home, and if you are going to try it, I suggest you follow an instruction sheet available online from an NHS hospital's ENT department. If possible, have someone with you when you do it, as it can make symptoms of dizziness worse, and you may feel a little unsteady for a couple of days afterwards.