• Question: Why do I feel dizzy when I spin

    Asked by jessicawilliams to Angela, Gabriele, Karen, Maria, Shane on 11 Nov 2013. This question was also asked by danielhor.
    • Photo: Shane Mc Guinness

      Shane Mc Guinness answered on 11 Nov 2013:


      Great question.
      This has to do with the part of your body called the bony labyrinth, in your inner ear. This is responsible for allowing your body to balance and it does this using three bony tubes filled with fluid, which loop around each other in three different directions, kind of like three hula-hoops all tangled up. On the walls of these are tiny hairs that move whenever the fluid moves, which tells your body which way is up. When you spin around, this fluid sloshes around for a while, confusing your body and making you “dizzy”. Feeling dizzy is your body desperately trying to work out where it is, even though you can see the person next to you, your body doesn’t quite believe it, and waits for the fluid in your bony labyrinth to stop moving.

    • Photo: Karen McCarthy

      Karen McCarthy answered on 11 Nov 2013:


      You feel dizzy when you spin because the motion part of your brain has sent a wrong signal. The vestibular system in your ear is what keeps track of your balance, and also lets you know if you are lying down or sitting up. When you spin, little parts of the system also move in the direction you are spinning, letting your body know whats happening. But if you stop suddenly, then they keep spinning and so your brain thinks you are still moving, even if you’re not!

      http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/question483.htm

    • Photo: Angela Stevenson

      Angela Stevenson answered on 11 Nov 2013:


      Your ears are to blame for that! There’s tiny hairs there that bend whenever the liquid in your inner ear sloshes around. These hairs send signals to your brain, which is why you can hear and they also help with balance. If you spin really fast this also makes the liquid spin around and when you eventually stop this liquid keeps spinning, this is what causes the dizzy sensation. Great question Jessica! Hope that helped demystify dizziness 🙂

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