Why do roller coasters make us feel dizzy?
Learn about equilibrium, which is regulated by the inner ear, and vertigo.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: Whereas some people could ride roller coasters all day long, simply the sight of them is enough to make others dizzy. In general, older people are less enthralled by these sort of fun park attractions. And it's no surprise as humans gradually begin to lose their sense of equilibrium at just 20 years of age. Various organs, each of which constantly sends messages to the brain, work together to produce our sense of equilibrium. The ears, eyes and various sensors in our joints and muscles play a most striking role in the process. Whenever these organs present the brain with contradictory information, we begin to feel dizzy.
PROFESSOR MARTIN WESTHOFEN: "We experience it whenever one of the three major sensory systems is confused, overwhelmed or prone to an unfamiliar form of stimulation. And then there are all sorts of conscious misperceptions that originate in one of the three channels. One we've all experienced is the act of sitting on a train and looking out the window at a moving object, like another train. For a split second, we have a peculiar sensation and are no longer certain whether we are moving or the other train is. Only when the train has left our field of vision and the very last car has passed does the sensation end and we know for sure who was moving. The missing pieces are suddenly restored and everything is clear again."
NARRATOR: Experts differentiate between the various types of dizziness. For instance, there is rotary vertigo, where the world seems to spin, as well as psychogenic vertigo, where everything sways. Lift vertigo causes its sufferers to feel queasy when travelling by elevator. As we all know, it takes no effort whatsoever to induce rotary vertigo. Simply spin around for a while and then stop abruptly. When you do, it feels like you're still spinning. The reason for this is that the sense of equilibrium in our inner ear is disrupted.
Equilibrium is a composite sensation created in three semicircular canals, which are filled with liquid. The channels also contain sensory cells with ultra-thin hairs. Whenever we spin around, the liquid moves around, causing these hairs to sway. Even after we have stopped spinning, the liquid continues to splash to and fro and we experience so-called rotary vertigo. Some people can stomach dizziness, others can't. Scientists are currently in the process of researching why that is. A word of wisdom for anyone feeling dizziness at higher altitudes: Sit down and focus on a point way out in the distance.
PROFESSOR MARTIN WESTHOFEN: "We experience it whenever one of the three major sensory systems is confused, overwhelmed or prone to an unfamiliar form of stimulation. And then there are all sorts of conscious misperceptions that originate in one of the three channels. One we've all experienced is the act of sitting on a train and looking out the window at a moving object, like another train. For a split second, we have a peculiar sensation and are no longer certain whether we are moving or the other train is. Only when the train has left our field of vision and the very last car has passed does the sensation end and we know for sure who was moving. The missing pieces are suddenly restored and everything is clear again."
NARRATOR: Experts differentiate between the various types of dizziness. For instance, there is rotary vertigo, where the world seems to spin, as well as psychogenic vertigo, where everything sways. Lift vertigo causes its sufferers to feel queasy when travelling by elevator. As we all know, it takes no effort whatsoever to induce rotary vertigo. Simply spin around for a while and then stop abruptly. When you do, it feels like you're still spinning. The reason for this is that the sense of equilibrium in our inner ear is disrupted.
Equilibrium is a composite sensation created in three semicircular canals, which are filled with liquid. The channels also contain sensory cells with ultra-thin hairs. Whenever we spin around, the liquid moves around, causing these hairs to sway. Even after we have stopped spinning, the liquid continues to splash to and fro and we experience so-called rotary vertigo. Some people can stomach dizziness, others can't. Scientists are currently in the process of researching why that is. A word of wisdom for anyone feeling dizziness at higher altitudes: Sit down and focus on a point way out in the distance.