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

    Asked by InxAlfa to Tom, Ester, Eoin on 15 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Eoin McKinney

      Eoin McKinney answered on 15 Nov 2017:


      The inside of our ears help us keep our balance. They manage this partly due to fluid filled tubes called canals that point in different directions. When we spin around the fluid spins with us, and when we stop it keeps sloshing around a bit. Movement of this fluid stimulates tiny little nerves in the ear to tell us whether we are moving and in what direction. When it sloshes around after spinning, the fluid keeps sending signals to the brain and we think we are moving but we aren’t – dizzy!

Comments