My Amazing Body 3-minute video · ages 4-8 · free coloring page
Why do I get dizzy when I spin around?
You spin around and around, and then you stop. But the room keeps on spinning! Why do you get dizzy?
3 min
If the video does not start, use the YouTube button.
Print, color, try
Free coloring page
The scene from the video as a coloring page, plus the three-sentence answer, the experiment, and a QR code back to this page. One sheet, US Letter, black and white.
The answer in three parts
Why?
-
Your sense of balance lives deep inside your ears.
It tells you which way is up, and whether you are moving. In there are three little loops. Each one is a tube filled with liquid, with tiny hairs inside.
-
When you turn your head, the liquid bends the tiny hairs.
The liquid lags behind and bends the hairs. They send a message to your brain, "Hey, we are turning!" When you spin round and round, the liquid soon catches up and spins along with you.
-
When you stop, the liquid keeps swirling.
It bends the tiny hairs the other way, so your ears tell your brain, "We are still turning!" But your eyes say, "No, we are standing still!" Your brain gets two different messages at once and gets mixed up. That mixed-up feeling is being dizzy.
For grown-ups: After a few seconds, the liquid slows down and stops. The messages from the ears and the eyes match again, and the dizzy feeling goes away. If your child feels dizzy, have them stand still or sit down and look at one thing that is not moving. For spinning games, pick a place with lots of room, far away from stairs and hard corners.
Three loops, three ways to move
- Nodding yes
- Shaking no
- Tilting to the side
Each loop points a different way, so together they can feel every move.
A tiny experiment
Try it!
Swirl a cup of water
You need: a cup, some water, and a few tiny bits of paper
- Fill a cup halfway with water, and drop in a few tiny bits of paper.
- Swirl the cup around a few times, then set it down.
- The cup has stopped. But look! Does the water keep going around?
What happened? That is just what happens inside your ears after you stop spinning.
Did you know?
If you feel dizzy, stand still or sit down, and look at one thing that is not moving. Soon the liquid in your ears stops, and the dizzy feeling goes away.
The tiny hairs inside the loops are much thinner than the hair on your head.
Your guide in this video
I'm Loopy, a tiny loop that lives deep inside your ear. Let's solve a spinny mystery!
Loopy is a little pink ring-shaped ear loop. Loopy lives with two other loops, and each one points a different way.
Keep asking
Next question
My Amazing Body
How do I taste different flavors?
with Buddy · 3 min
More from My Amazing Body
For grown-ups
Our videos are made for kids and play on YouTube. If your child watches in the YouTube Kids app with "approved content only", you can add our channel in three steps. See how.
No ads, no sign-up, no cookies, no tracking.