Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Hi everybody!

  • Since it's such a nice day here, Squeaks and I thought we'd head over to the playground.

  • I have to admit, though -- some of the rides on the playground -- like the ones that go

  • around...and around...and around...kind of make me dizzy!

  • If you've ever spun around in circles too long, then you know what being dizzy feels

  • like.

  • Everything around you seems like it's spinning, even though you're not!

  • If you've ever wondered why this happens, you're not alone!

  • One viewer recently emailed us asking: Why do we get dizzy?

  • And that's a great question, with a really interesting answer!

  • Believe it or not, the reason we get dizzy has to do with our ears.

  • Yes, our ears do more than help us hear things.

  • They have another job, tooto help us keep our balance, which means they help keep us

  • steady so that we don't fall over!

  • To see how that works, let's look at what's going on deep inside your ears.

  • If you could see way inside your ears, you'd see a part that looks like this.

  • This is called your inner ear.

  • There's a part that looks kind of curly, like a snail shell...and there's a part

  • that's made of three loops.

  • And each loop points in a different direction.

  • One points up and down...one points to the back of your head...and one points side to

  • side.

  • These loops are what help you keep your balance.

  • They have fluid inside them, a liquid that's a little bit like water.

  • And the insides of these loops have something else, toolots of tiny little hairs.

  • These hairs stick up into the fluid.

  • The bottoms of the hairs stay in one place, but the tops can move back and forth as the

  • fluid swishes around.

  • Now, these hairs have a special job.

  • They send signals to the brain.

  • And those signals tell the brain which way your head is facing.

  • For example, when you lie down at night to go to sleep, the fluid that's in the loops

  • moves.

  • And when the fluid moves...the tops of the hairs move.

  • So, as you're settling into bed, they tell the brain...hey, we're lying down!

  • And if you nod our head yes...the fluid moves again...and the hairs send signals to the

  • brain, saying, we're moving up and down!

  • Now, as long as we're doing simple movements like that, everything's fine.

  • In fact, even if you spin slowly around in a circle, you won't get dizzy.

  • As you turn, the little hairs tell your brain that you're turning in a circle.

  • And when you stop, they tell the brain that you've stopped moving, so everything's

  • fine.

  • But...when you spin around a lot, really fast, the fluid in those loops starts sloshing around.

  • The hairs tell the brain that you're spinning.

  • But!

  • When you stop, it takes a little while for the fluid to stop moving, too.

  • And if the fluid is still moving...the hairs are telling the brain that you're still

  • moving.

  • So, even though you've stopped twirling around in a circle...your brain still thinks

  • you're moving...which is why everything seems like it's spinning around you.

  • Thankfully, it only takes a few seconds for the fluid in your inner ears to settle down.

  • And when that happens, the little hairs in your inner ear finally know what's really

  • going on, and everything gets back to normal.

  • Thanks for asking such an awesome question!

  • Do you have a question for us?

  • Then, ask a grownup to help you to leave us a comment down below or to send an email to

  • Kids@SciShow.com!

  • We'll see you next time, here at the fort!

Hi everybody!

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it