More or less benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. The bang on your head dislodged crystals that form in the fluid in your ear’s semicircular canals. These crystals form with age and normally collect in some nook in the inner ear. When they are floating around in the fluid, they can strike the tiny hairs in your inner ear that indicate to your brain how your body is moving and how it is positioned. When fluid flows by the Haus and makes them sway, your brain interprets that as motion.
But when a crystal hits a hair, your brain interprets it as “I am suddenly moving about one axis at high angular velocity.” You become insanely dizzy. The nature of this phenomenon is that when you turn your head one way, you feel like you are falling forever in that direction.
Solution: the Epley maneuver. Turn your head quickly in the direction of the falling while you are sitting in a bed. As your head turns, fall backwards quickly on to the bed. This motion more or less tucks the crystals back into their niche so you can regain your sense of balance.
The brain is crazy. The inner ear is crazy. See an ENT specialist before you follow my dumbass version of doctor’s orders, but if you suffer from Bppv maybe this will be interesting information.
I studied neuroscience in undergrad and never learned about this. Thank you for sharing, I feel like I’ve experienced this phenomenon over the years and it might explain the changes in my behavior and erratic moods thereafter.
But when a crystal hits a hair, your brain interprets it as “I am suddenly moving about one axis at high angular velocity.” You become insanely dizzy. The nature of this phenomenon is that when you turn your head one way, you feel like you are falling forever in that direction.
Solution: the Epley maneuver. Turn your head quickly in the direction of the falling while you are sitting in a bed. As your head turns, fall backwards quickly on to the bed. This motion more or less tucks the crystals back into their niche so you can regain your sense of balance.
The brain is crazy. The inner ear is crazy. See an ENT specialist before you follow my dumbass version of doctor’s orders, but if you suffer from Bppv maybe this will be interesting information.