vertigo from sloping floors
We are negotiating to buy a 100 year old detached wood frame in which the floors sag toward the center of the house. While the slope doesn’t bother me aesthetically, when I’m in the house for about 15 minutes I start to feel a very mild vertigo akin to being seasick. I have never lived…
We are negotiating to buy a 100 year old detached wood frame in which the floors sag toward the center of the house. While the slope doesn’t bother me aesthetically, when I’m in the house for about 15 minutes I start to feel a very mild vertigo akin to being seasick. I have never lived with sloping floors before and am wondering if this is something that I will get used to after living in the home. Let’s assume that there are no structural issues and the slope can’t be fixed — has anyone had a similar feeling that they got over after moving into a house with sloping floors? Obviously I don’t want to buy a house that makes me woozy but also don’t want to give up our dream house due to something that I’ll get used to in a week. Thanks in advance and apologies for asking what may seem like a silly question!
Hello this is for the OP-
Your visual fields are susceptible to “suggestion” or objective vertigo-
basically your eyes can trick your brain into thinking things-
When you look at your floor your brain starts telling your body to stay perpendicular to the floor- depending on the size of your cochlear (inner ear) canal and the amount of visual subtlety you pick up from your surroundings this could give you slight vertigo-
Yes you should get used to it, but there may be certain places in the house you won’t be able to focus on for long or you will get a little dizzy. This is normal and you most likely have a small inner ear canal- people who have small inner ears tend to have more issues with vertigo and motion sickness. It is most likely not pathological due to your having an actual sloping floor- However if you thought the floor was sloping but in fact it did not- THEN you would definitely want to see a physician about this.
I am currently dealing with the same issue in my house- however I am renting- so good luck
Hello this is for the OP-
Your visual fields are susceptible to “suggestion” or objective vertigo-
basically your eyes can trick your brain into thinking things-
When you look at your floor your brain starts telling your body to stay perpendicular to the floor- depending on the size of your cochlear (inner ear) canal and the amount of visual subtlety you pick up from your surroundings this could give you slight vertigo-
Yes you should get used to it, but there may be certain places in the house you won’t be able to focus on for long or you will get a little dizzy. This is normal and you most likely have a small inner ear canal- people who have small inner ears tend to have more issues with vertigo and motion sickness. It is most likely not pathological due to your having an actual sloping floor- However if you thought the floor was sloping but in fact it did not- THEN you would definitely want to see a physician about this.
I am currently dealing with the same issue in my house- however I am renting- so good luck
Hello this is for the OP-
Your visual fields are susceptible to “suggestion” or objective vertigo-
basically your eyes can trick your brain into thinking things-
When you look at your floor your brain starts telling your body to stay perpendicular to the floor- depending on the size of your cochlear (inner ear) canal and the amount of visual subtlety you pick up from your surroundings this could give you slight vertigo-
Yes you should get used to it, but there may be certain places in the house you won’t be able to focus on for long or you will get a little dizzy. This is normal and you most likely have a small inner ear canal- people who have small inner ears tend to have more issues with vertigo and motion sickness. It is most likely not pathological due to your having an actual sloping floor- However if you thought the floor was sloping but in fact it did not- THEN you would definitely want to see a physician about this.
I am currently dealing with the same issue in my house- however I am renting- so good luck
Hello this is for the OP-
Your visual fields are susceptible to “suggestion” or objective vertigo-
basically your eyes can trick your brain into thinking things-
When you look at your floor your brain starts telling your body to stay perpendicular to the floor- depending on the size of your cochlear (inner ear) canal and the amount of visual subtlety you pick up from your surroundings this could give you slight vertigo-
Yes you should get used to it, but there may be certain places in the house you won’t be able to focus on for long or you will get a little dizzy. This is normal and you most likely have a small inner ear canal- people who have small inner ears tend to have more issues with vertigo and motion sickness. It is most likely not pathological due to your having an actual sloping floor- However if you thought the floor was sloping but in fact it did not- THEN you would definitely want to see a physician about this.
I am currently dealing with the same issue in my house- however I am renting- so good luck
This is the OP. Spoke to my doctor. He said that he hadn’t heard of anyone who had a similar experience, but he expected that I would get used to it with time. We’re going to move forward with the house and hope for the best. If worse comes to worst, we can always try and fix it. Thanks for all of your input!!
I have had this experience and find it does go away fairly quickly. I tend to get motion sickness easily (boats, the subway, cabs are the worst). I thought we were going to have to get rid of our new big flat screen. My husband is very glad I adjusted to it.
My apartment has a noticable slant to one side. We have a large piece of furniture on the low side that counterbalances. It’s a little hard to stick a table in the middle of every floor of your house, I guess. Still, as someone who has your experience, I’d like to reassure you. Don’t assume you have a tumor or some such medical emergency unless this is a wholly new thing.
Most people from the suburbs who enter a brownstone or NY apt. will tell you they feel very narrow. We all adjust. Buy it, move in your things and you’ll get used to it.
Vertigo and inner ear problems can be difficult to diagnose and get to the bottom of. My sister had terrible fits of vertigo and underwent many surgeries for a supposed leak of spinal fluid. Nothing seemed to make any difference… until she went to see a headache specialist and he talked to her about her diet. Nutrasweet, chocolate, and caffiene – all present in her diet – are migraine triggers and he believed she was having migraines. She has cut out all the triggers and no longer has these awful periods of vertigo. There’s also Meniere’s to think about… good luck!!!
I think you will get used to it. We just renovated on a budget and were not able to fix the floors and just leveled all of the appliances and counters and bookshelves. (You have to be really crafty with a jigsaw and poplar 1″x4″‘s.) I agree with the poster that you get used to it when all you stuff is in place. When I saw our space empty it gave me vertigo also. I would say our upper floor slopes about 3 or 4 inches to the center of the house (towards the staircase which seems is normal for park slope)
I’ve suffered from vertigo on and off for most of my life — it’s getting more frequent and more severe as I get older! — and would agree with all those above referring you to an ENT. However, I would not give up on the dreamhouse — I have quaintly sloping floors in my house that bothered me a bit when I moved in, but now with furniture, area rugs, and other assorted life-clutter everywhere, it is not nearly as noticeable as it was when the place was overwhelmingly empty. Just be careful of where you place tall furniture, like bookshelves, because the strong verticals really register the slope and can make you feel especially off-balance. Good luck!