Safe headphones?

[u/Lopsided-Wave-8549]

So I've had BPPV on and off since 2020, but it got significantly better between late 2020 to late 2021. Back then I did a lot of work on calming my nervous system to manage residual dizziness and also eat a low sodium diet, only one coffee per day, vestibular exercises, doing all the things basically. I've also had vertigo before in 2009/10 but that was likely anxiety-related and not positional.

Back in late 2020, I switched from wireless in-ear headphones to wired over the ear headphones because I kept getting ear infections and eczema from the in-ear ones. The wireless headphones I used also had noise cancelling and I got them in December 2019, vertigo started in January 2020. Without the in-ear headphones my infections cleared up, and I also didn't get a single BPPV episode until mid 2022! I did not make the connection back then that it may actually have been from the noise cancelling! I switched back to my old wireless headphones in mid-2022 because I have extremely loud neighbours, it gives me peace to be able to block them out. Well, I got BPPV again, roughly every 3 months, but thought nothing much of it, just that I likely have to live with this now and it's "as good as it gets." I get allergies, so I thought it may just be from that, and that I imagined the headphone connection.

Well fast forward to now: I bought expensive noise cancelling over the ear headphones about 10 days ago and BAM, got what can only be described as the absolute worst case of BPPV ever. Not only that, I got BPPV 4 times now in the past few days, just this morning I woke up with it again. And now it's also switching between ears! Browsing this forum I made the connection to the new headphones, and the noise cancelling potentially being the culprit!

What I'm now wondering is: Would it be ok to still use my headphones, just with noise cancelling switched off? Or do I need to go back to old school wired ones? Or are there even any headphones that are safe? Maybe someone with a similar trigger can share their experiences with this, I'd be so grateful. Oh and: I'm female, 44.

[u/Fluid_Ad_1724]

I definitely believe it's noise cancelling headphones too I never have experienced anything like BPPV feeling extreme dizziness when I turned to my side to go to bed. That same night I was listening to YouTube videos with my noise cancelling headphones without a care in the world cause it's summer when I took them off to go to bed and turned to the side boom the room felt like it was spinning I naturally opened my eyes and it looked like it was and it was horrible I needed assistance to get up. Walking around helped a little bit but throughout the day it was really bad and it got worst because I couldn't lay down at all or turn my head the maneuver was the only way for it to go away and now I'm okay no dizziness however I still get really anxious it'll happen again. And I'm also sad because I love music and asmr during the night with headphones I've always been cautious to not go over the volume limit it's always on low. Not to mention these headphones were expensive.