Why Do We Get Dizzy?

What You'll Learn

• Inside your ear is a balance system called the vestibular system
• It has tiny tubes filled with fluid and little hairs
• When you spin, the fluid sloshes around and the hairs send signals to your brain
• After you stop, the fluid keeps moving — confusing your brain
• That confusion makes you feel dizzy

Words to Know

Dizzy

Feeling like the world is spinning

"I felt dizzy after spinning."

Vestibular system

The balance system inside your ear

"My vestibular system helps me balance."

Fluid

A liquid that can flow and slosh

"Fluid moved inside my ear tubes."

Balance

Staying steady and not falling

"Good balance helps me stand on one foot."

Check What You Learned

Fun Facts

• The vestibular system in the inner ear detects head movement and position

  Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

• The semicircular canals are three loop-shaped tubes filled with fluid (endolymph) that detect rotation

  Source: NIDCD

• Tiny hair cells in the canals bend when fluid moves, sending signals to the brain about movement

  Source: NIDCD

• After spinning, the fluid continues to move for a few seconds, causing mixed signals between the eyes and ears

  Source: American Academy of Otolaryngology

• This sensory mismatch causes the sensation of dizziness or vertigo

  Source: AAO-HNS

• Astronauts experience space adaptation syndrome due to vestibular system adjustment in microgravity

  Source: NASA