Have you ever felt like the world was spinning around you? Some of my patients describe it in funny ways, saying things like:
- “My rocks are loose.”
- “I lost my marbles.”
- “A few ball bearings are loose.”
- “Something’s wrong with the crystals in my head.”
They’re actually talking about benign paroxysmal positional vertigo—or BPPV for short!
What is BPPV?
BPPV can happen to anyone, often without any warning. Most people say they just woke up with it or turned their head, and suddenly the world started spinning. The spinning feeling, called vertigo, usually lasts less than a minute and stops on its own. But certain movements, like rolling over in bed, bending down, or looking up, can make it start again.
What Causes the Spinning?
Inside your ear, there’s a tiny system that helps with balance. It’s about the size of a dime and has small hair cells with tiny crystals called otoconia. These crystals help send signals to your brain about your head’s position.
With BPPV, some of these crystals fall off and get stuck in the wrong place—inside one of the semicircular canals in your inner ear. When this happens, your brain gets mixed signals: one normal signal and one from the loose crystals. This confusion causes the spinning sensation. Once the crystals stop moving, the spinning stops, but you might still feel dizzy, nauseous, or even throw up.