How do ears help with balancing?
They really do.
You don't believe me.
Ok.
Can you play a guitar and walk at the same time?
How do you think you are able to maintain your balance?
Do you know why you can't balance yourself anymore?
Wait, I will tell you.
This happens because there is a connection between our ears and body balance.
Our ear consists of 3 parts, outer ear, middle ear and inner ear.
Our inner ear works in sync with our eyes and muscles.
Helping us maintain balance, while we are doing various activities.
The inner ear consists of three semicircular canals.
Called superior semicircular canal, posterior semicircular canal and lateral semicircular canal.
The three semicircular canals are arranged in three different positions.
Each of these canals has a fluid called endolymph and hair cells called cilia at the base.
Whenever we move our head, the fluid moves, resulting in the movement of the cilia as well.
When the cilia moves.
It sends signals to the brain informing which direction our head has just moved in.
Each canal has different functions as per the movement of our head.
When we move our head up and down.
The superior semicircular canal helps our brain to understand the yes motion.
When we tilt our head towards our shoulders.
The posterior semicircular canal helps our brain to understand the tilting motion.
When we move our head from side to side.
The lateral semicircular canal helps our brain to understand the no motion.
It was too complicated, right?
Ok, don't worry about it.
Relax.
Why don't you go on a merry go round ride?
Hey.
Why were you not able to maintain your balance?
This is because when you sat in the merry go round and started rotating.
The fluid in the semicircular canals also started to move.
After a while, it was moving at the same rate at which you were moving.
However, when the ride stopped and you got down from the ride.
The fluid was still in motion due to inertia.
Hence, even though you were not moving.
The moving fluid gave your brain false information telling that you are still in motion.
Thus, you were not able to maintain your balance.