vertigo

Dizziness can come from the inner ear, blood pressure, vision, anxiety, dehydration, or neurological signals. This guide explains the main mechanisms.

Balance is not a single sense but a symphony of three systems working in concert: the vestibular system (inner ear acceleration sensors), proprioception (body position awareness), and vision. The vestibular system contains the semicircular canals (which detect rotation) and the otolith organs (which detect linear acceleration and head tilt). Damage to any component creates the sensation of spinning, nausea, and falls. Understanding how the brain fuses these signals explains vertigo, motion sickness, and why astronauts become disoriented in microgravity where the vestibular system receives no gravitational input.