BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)

What is it?

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is a common inner ear problem that causes bouts of dizziness. It has been estimated that about 20% of visits to medical providers reporting dizziness can be attributed to BPPV.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470308/ 

If you went to your physician complaining of dizziness they may have mentioned something to you about your “crystals being out.” Many will wonder what that actually means. Within the inner ear you have an organ called the vestibular apparatus which includes semicircular canals, the utricle and the saccule. You have calcium carbonate crystals, called otoconia, that are located in the utricle and saccule. They sit on a membrane, which also has embedded hair bundles. When accelerating or changing the orientation of your head, the otoconia will cause the membrane to bend the hair cells which send impulses to your brain allowing you to perceive these changes.  

www.scienceabc.com

Problems arise when the otoconia break off from the utricle and float into one or more of the fluid filled semi-circular canals. The majority of the time the otoconia will float into the posterior semi-circular canal. During certain movements such as rolling in bed or going from lying to sitting the otoconia with create turbulence in the canal and stimulate hair cells or cilia in the canals. This stimulation in turn will cause the sensation of movement. This can vary from violent spinning to mild movement, such as while on a boat.