When you spin in circles, the repeated movements disrupt the sensors in the inner ear responsible for balance, which sends conflicting signals to the brain and causes dizziness.
In your head, you have a pretty amazing system that detects your position in space: it's the vestibular system. It is located in your inner ear, a discreet but essential area for your balance. Inside, you have three small tubes filled with a liquid called endolymph, known as semicircular canals. When you start to turn, this liquid moves and stimulates tiny hair cells at the bottom of these tubes, sending information to your brain: "Hey, we're turning this way!" But when you suddenly stop, the liquid continues its path briefly and then sends completely contradictory messages to your brain, like "We're still moving!" while your eyes clearly say "Nope, total stop." Your brain gets confused, and there you have it: guaranteed dizziness!
In your inner ear, you have a small natural "gyroscope" made up of three fluid-filled tubes called semicircular canals. These tubes, oriented in different directions, detect the movements of your head thanks to the fluid that moves when you turn. Inside each tube, there are tiny, very sensitive hairs called hair cells that capture these movements and send the information directly to your brain. As long as you keep turning, your brain continuously receives this movement signal. The catch is when you suddenly stop: the fluid keeps moving for a little while, sending misleading signals to the brain that still thinks it is moving. The result? You feel an unpleasant dizziness, and your balance becomes unsteady.
When you spin around, conflicting signals eventually reach the brain. This somewhat disrupts its usual job, which is to organize the information received from the eyes, ears, and muscles—in short, everything that orients the body in space. Indeed, the inner ear still signals movement while the eyes and muscles indicate that you have stopped. As a result, your brain is confused and triggers a phenomenon of dizziness. It then tries to restore everything as quickly as possible, but for a few moments, there is a bit of chaos in terms of the sense of balance.
When you spin around for a long time, your brain eventually receives scrambled sensory information. On one hand, your eyes clearly indicate that you are moving, but after several turns, your semicircular canals in the inner ear gradually adjust to this repetitive motion. They then send fewer and fewer signals to the brain, as if they are hardly detecting the rotation anymore. At that moment, your perception becomes confused: your eyes and your balance send contradictory messages, leading to that strange sensation of floating or loss of control. The longer you spin, the greater the discrepancy between your visual and vestibular perceptions, resulting in pronounced dizziness and even nausea.
When you suddenly stop spinning, your brain doesn't immediately regain its balance. This is because the fluid in your semicircular canals continues to move for a little while after you stop. Your brain then receives conflicting information: your eyes see that you’re no longer moving, but your inner ear is still sending signals of movement. Your body needs a little time to adjust to recalibrate everything. During these few seconds, you experience that famous dizziness until your brain finally realizes that everything has returned to normal.
Some people are more prone to dizziness than others due to individual variations in the sensitivity of the semicircular canals in the inner ear.
The sensation of dizziness is also the basis for certain games and attractions at fairs, which deliberately take advantage of the disorienting effect caused by rapid circular movements.
Among astronauts, microgravity frequently disrupts the inner ear, causing a form of discomfort known as 'space sickness,' similar to the dizziness experienced on Earth but generally more intense and lasting.
Excessive consumption of caffeine, alcohol, or insufficient hydration can amplify feelings of dizziness and prolong the recovery of balance after repeated circular movements.
The sensitivity to dizziness varies depending on the individual sensitivity of the vestibular system (located in the inner ear), but also on factors such as age, fatigue, pre-existing vestibular disorders, and genetic factors.
To quickly reduce feelings of dizziness, it is advisable to sit or lie down and then focus on a stationary point in front of you. Breathing slowly and deeply can also help your body regain its balance more quickly.
Yes, just like humans, animals have similar structures such as the inner ear and semicircular canals. Thus, they can also experience sensations of dizziness after making circular movements.
Yes, athletes such as dancers or figure skaters train regularly, which improves their tolerance to dizziness. By frequently repeating these movements, the body gradually adapts to better manage these unpleasant sensations.
In general, spinning briefly on oneself is not dangerous, but prolonged rotations can cause loss of balance, falls, or nausea. To avoid these risks, it is recommended to stop when you first feel any unpleasant or unusual sensations.
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