How come whenever we lay down and close our eyes when intoxicated that it feels like we are spinning and not really when our eyes are open
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Ok so, you’ve got 3 systems to help you maintain balance. You can function with just two*
You’ve got your vestibular system, its a series of canals and a few chambers attached to your cochlea in your inner ear. The canals and chambers are filled with fluid, fluid that pushes on gel, or that has heavy ‘stone’ on top of the gel, which then moves.
Youve got your eyesight, your eyes and ears are intrinsically linked, with reflexes going from ears to eye to keep eyesight steady. But also that eyesight information is used as feedback, your brain uses this information to establish balance.
You’ve got your proprioception/touch sense of balance, your brain knows what your muscles and joints are doing, where they are and how active they are, and also uses this information to create a sense of balance.
So you’re drunk, you’ve mucked with the inner ear (Alcohol does this for various reasons, others can get into that). But you’ve still mostly got your vision and your touch/proprioception firing right. You’re ok, you can function.
But then you lay down and close your eyes? All of a sudden we’ve lost another of the 3 systems the brain uses for balance. We’ve lost one of the inputs, and we’re recieving messed up informatuon from the other. So you feel dizzy.
That’s why. Your brain uses sight, the vestibular system, and touch/proprioception, all 3, to create the sense of balance. By closing your eyes you’ve shut out another one of the inputs. Usually that’s fine, but you’ve also messed with the others by drinking. Now there’s an issue.
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