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A new study published in the British Medical Journal has revealed that exercises, such as turning your head right to left and back again or nodding your head up and down, led to reduced dizziness within a matter of weeks of starting, and the benefits lasted for at least a year.

Lucy Yardley, a professor from the University of Southampton who has studied dizziness for years, says her research has been proven a cost effective treatment for the common causes of the condition. She is urging doctors around the world to give patients with persistent dizziness a booklet of simple exercises.

"Dizziness can be a frustrating and sometimes frightening condition," Yardley said. "Many people are undiagnosed, have no treatment for it and just learn to live with it. This leads to a low quality of life and can have high healthcare costs."

Although dizziness is a common condition that affects any age, it is especially common among older people. The condition can cause stress and heightens the risk of falling and fear of falling, which in turn, can result in substantial further limitation of activity, injury, and healthcare costs.

Yardley studied more than 300 people who suffered from dizziness due to an inner ear problem, as well as those who had undiagnosed dizziness. The participants were given either routine medical care (commonly just reassurance and medication to suppress dizziness symptoms), booklet based vestibular rehabilitation only, or booklet based vestibular rehabilitation with telephone support from a healthcare professional.

The number of patients who had the booklet and telephone support and said they felt much better or totally well by the end of the study was two times more than those who had routine care. Even without any support, getting the booklet led to better recovery than routine care. Only 5 per cent of patients receiving the booklet with support reported worse symptoms at the end of the study, compared with 15 per cent of those receiving usual care.

"By being given something as a simple as a booklet by their GP, that contains these simple head, neck and eye exercises, many patients will see real benefits in just a few weeks," Yardley said. "These easy to understand exercises, which can be carried out at home, have the potential to improve the quality of life for thousands of people."

So far, over 8,000 booklets have been distributed and Ménière's Society UK said they have been giving the public and health professionals for seven years.  

"Dizziness and balance disorders can be extremely debilitating and affect a person's quality of life," said Director of Ménière's Society Natasha Harrington-Benton. "This study demonstrates the benefits of vestibular rehabilitation in helping people to manage the symptoms of their condition."