Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why can continuing endolymph movement cause dizziness?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Cross-section diagram of the human ear showing the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear, with labeled parts including the auricle, auditory canal, tympanic membrane, ossicles, cochlea, semicircular canals, and nerves. — human ear Structure of the human ear.

Dizziness occurs due to the physical properties of the endolymph fluid within the semicircular canals of the inner ear. These canals are responsible for sensing rotational head movements.12

When you rotate your head, the endolymph inside the canals initially lags behind due to inertia, which exerts pressure on the cupula and deflects the hair cells within the ampulla. This displacement sends neural impulses to the brain to signal movement.12

The sensation of dizziness arises when the head stops moving, but the endolymph—due to its inertia—continues to circulate for a short period. This lingering fluid movement continues to deflect the cupula, creating a false signal that the head is still rotating. This mismatch between the actual physical state of the head and the sensory input transmitted to the brain results in the feeling of dizziness or vertigo.132