• Question: Why do I feel dizzy when I spin?

    Asked by flossieqb to Tim, Suzi, Simon, Rachael on 14 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by lucysmith.
    • Photo: Tim Fosker

      Tim Fosker answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Hi @flossieqb

      You may be interested to find out that dizziness is everything to do with your ears. Not the part of your ear that you can see on the outside of your head, we call this the pinna, but the ‘inner ear’. The inner ear has several passages that shoot out in different directions and contain fluid. Little hairs attached to nerves connect different parts of the inner ear to the brain and the brain puts together the information from the inner ear and your eyes to form a picture of where you are in space. When you start spinning around the liquid in the passages of the inner ear tells your brain you are moving, but if you keep spinning the liquid will start moving at the same rate as you head, so the hairs in the inner ear stop telling your brain that you are moving. When you stop moving the fluid in the passages of the inner ear keeps moving and so your brain is told you must have started moving again. The result is you feeling dizzy.

      Sorry that was a long answer, but I hope it made sense 🙂

    • Photo: Suzi Gage

      Suzi Gage answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Hi @flossieqb and @lucysmith

      Not anything I can add to Tim’s answer, it’s all about the liquid in your inner ear. This is also apparently a lot to do with why some people feel car sick (like me), their inner ear is overly sensitive to the movements of the car and it makes you feel sick.

      Bleugh! (sorry)

Comments