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

    Asked by Sammy to Chris, Hayley, Jimi, Maddison, Omur on 16 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Jimi Wills

      Jimi Wills answered on 16 Mar 2016:

      There are little circular canals in your inner ear. They contain liquid and hairs. When when turn, the liquid tries to stay still, and so moves through the canal. The little hairs sense the movment and you know you’re turning.

      If you turn for a long time, the liquid in the canal catches up with you… and when you stop it keeps going! So it feels like you’re spinning even though you’re not any more.

    • Photo: Omur Tastan

      Omur Tastan answered on 16 Mar 2016:

      This is a great question!
      There is an amazing motion sensing system in your inner ear and that’s the key to feeling dizzy. When you spin, the nerve cells in your inner ear that senses motion send signals to your brain letting it know about the motion! 🙂

      These nerve cells are attached to tiny little hairs that move when you start moving. You feel dizzy because even when you stop, these hairs attached to your nerve cells can’t stop moving and they keep sending the wrong signal to your brain, so you feel like you are spinning but you are not 🙂 therefore you feel dizzy 🙂

    • Photo: Hayley Moulding

      Hayley Moulding answered on 17 Mar 2016:

      When we spin round and round and round, the fluid in our ears contain liquid as well as lots and lots of little hairs. Things like when you move your cup around and around, the water goes up and down the glass. The water is trying to stay inside the glass, but it might come out if you spin it more and more. The liquid in our ears won’t come out, but it spins and spins for a bit longer after you finish.

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