Why is the Room Spinning?

This single point trapeze has got me thinking about balance. After the first round, which was a solo lesson lasting about an hour, I felt pretty good. My instructor, mightily prepared with water, ginger, smelling salts and a bucket (just kidding about the last two), was very conscientious about checking up on my dizziness every few minutes: “How are you doing? Do you need some ginger? Drink some water.” And I was really fine. Until… I finished the class and made it all the way to work when I realized I felt exceedingly tired, had trouble focusing, was walking very slowly, methodically placing one foot in front of the other. I imagine I looked drunk, which is not the best way to appear at work. When I made it to my office, I sat at my desk, both feet placed firmly on the floor. With hands flat on my desk I stared straight ahead for about an hour. Then, quite suddenly, it passed.

So, what is this experience? The theories in the single point class abound. I’ve heard everything from fluid in the inner ear moving too rapidly, to low blood sugar. The remedies are even more diverse: eat protein before class; after you’ve been on the trapeze place the palm of your hand an inch from you face and study your life line; jump up and down; or my personal solution, which is to invariably, inadvertently close one eye.

According to more knowledgeable sources, our balance is maintained by a complex interaction of many different parts of the nervous system including the eyes, inner ears, joints, spine, muscles, sensory receptors, the brain and spinal cord. The symptoms of dizziness occur when the central nervous system (brain and spine) receives conflicting messages from the other systems. Each of these systems works in a particular way. The inner ears, or labyrinth, help us to know the direction of motion of our body, such as turning in different directions. The eyes monitor where the body is in space and also the direction of the motion in our environment (think about sitting at a stop light in your car and the car next to you begins to move slowly forward and you slam your foot on the break, having the sensation of movement). The joints and spine are skin pressure receptors which communicate which part of the body is touching the ground. Muscles and joint receptors tell us which part of the body is moving while the brain and spinal cord processes all of the information from the other systems. So, when the systems are sending contradicting signals, such as a spinning on a trapeze, hanging upside down from one knee, while simultaneously trying to focus either on nothing or an unmoving body part, this will inevitably cause the CNS some confusion. Rightfully so.

Now, how to combat the dizziness. This guy calls dizziness his idea of “absolute hell”. I wouldn’t go that far, obviously, or I wouldn’t be on the trapeze. But dizziness can be a real drag. So his remedies seem quite useful. Recommendations include: move slowly and find a focal point, stay hydrated, practice deliberate movement (walk a straight line), build focal strength (do exercises like following moving objects with your eyes). His final solution? Avoid dizziness-inducing activities. Heck no!