Cervical vertigo is caused by stimulation of the cervical vertebral arteries as well as the sympathetic nerves of the cervical spine. Vertigo attacks mostly occur when the head is turned, and the head turn occurs for a few seconds, 5-10 seconds. The vertigo may cease at the end of the head turn. Many medical conditions can cause vertigo. How to tell if it is cervical vertigo is to see if it is caused by turning the head, and also if the vertigo attack is longer. If the vertigo lasts 1-2 days, it is not cervical vertigo. Cervical vertigo lasts 3-5 seconds and each episode is associated with turning your head.