Most people would say you have five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. Recently, scientists have expanded their view of what makes up a sense.
For example, some would argue that hunger is a sense and that the abilities to feel pain and pressure are senses.
Without your sense of balance, you couldn't stand or walk without falling on your face. Balance is the result of the brain processing information that comes from three systems: your eyes, your inner ear and something called proprioception.
You obviously need your eyes to see. For example, you couldn't read this article or build a Lego set without good vision. But your eyes also let you know where you are relative to your surroundings. Is the tree in front of you close up, or is it farther away? At any point in time, are you moving forward, moving sideways or standing still? Knowing where you are relative to your environment is essential for good balance.
Your inner ear contains the vestibular system, which has three semicircular canals. Those canals are filled with a liquid called endolymph. When you move your head up and down or rotate it side to side, the endolymph moves and triggers hair cells within the semicircular canals to send nerve signals to the brain. The brain interprets these signals to stabilize eye movement and your sense of where you are relative to your surroundings.
Proprioception refers to the ability to know where your body parts are in relation to one another. For example, you could bend over and scratch your foot without looking. You could also drink a glass of water with your eyes closed. Stretch receptors in your skin, muscles and joints relay positional information to your central nervous system. Many regions in the brain are involved with understanding these signals.
Every second that you stand or move around, thousands of nerve signals pass back and forth between your body parts and brain. This exchange of information allows your brain to know where you are in space and to coordinate the muscular contractions needed to carry out specific actions and to keep you from falling. Of course, we all stumble from time to time, which shows that the system isn't perfect.
If you experience dizziness or a head injury, your doctor can check your balance by asking you to do the following tasks:
- Hold your arms away from your body and alternate bringing each index finger to the tip of your nose while your eyes are closed.
- Stand with your feet together and your eyes closed.
- Walk heel to toe like a tightrope walker. Do it with your arms at your side and then with your arms across your chest.
If you want to check your balance, you can easily do these tests at home. Just make sure your mom or dad is watching so you don't hurt yourself. You can even attempt something a little harder. Try to stand on one foot without falling for 30 seconds. Now, try it again with your eyes closed. It's much harder without your eyes, isn't it?
The Washington Post
Tue Feb 14 2017
Every second that you stand or move around, thousands of nerve signals pass back and forth between your body parts and brain. - Filepic
[LAPOR LANGSUNG] Wajah semua mangsa sudah dikeluarkan TLDM
HRPB maklumkan bedah siasat mungkin selesai pada Rabu.
FINAS taja caruman SKSPS bagi 4,500 penggiat seni selama setahun - Fahmi
FINAS akan menaja 4,500 penggiat seni tanah air di bawah SKSPS Perkeso dengan caruman RM23.30 bagi setiap orang, menjadikan jumlah keseluruhan tajaan bernilai RM104,850.
Gabungan golf dan bola sepak, footgolf sukan santai dan menyeronokkan
Footgolf menggabungkan dua sukan paling popular di dunia iaitu bola sepak dan golf, dengan kaki berfungsi sebagai kayu golf untuk menendang bola sepak saiz lima ke lubang yang ditetapkan.
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: Misi sekali lagi ditangguhkan, dijangka berlepas pada Jumaat
Ketika ini lokasi kapal memulakan pelayaran akan ditukarkan ke satu lokasi yang akan diumumkan dalam masa terdekat.
Pihak produksi masih terima Naim Daniel jika ubah fikiran
Ketua saluran Astro Ria, Norzeha Mohd Salleh memberitahu bahawa pihak produksi masih lagi memberi ruang kepada penyanyi tersebut untuk mempertimbangkan semula tawaran yang diberikan.
The Hardest Singing Show cabar kreativiti penyanyi tempatan
Program The Hardest Singing Show mencari satu juara yang mampu menyahut cabaran kreativiti luar limitasi.
Pekerja Ahli Parlimen EU disyaki jadi pengintip China
Polis Jerman telah menahan seorang pekerja ahli politik Parlimen Eropah Alternative for Germany (AfD) kerana disyaki menjadi pengintip China.
Amaran ribut hujan tahap tertinggi dikeluarkan di Guangdong, selatan China
Lebih 100,000 orang sudah dipindahkan akibat hujan lebat dan banjir yang boleh membawa maut di selatan China.
Jokowi dan anaknya bukan lagi ahli PDIP
Presiden Indonesia Joko Widodo atau Jokowi dan anaknya, bakal naib presiden Gibran Rakabuming Raka, bukan lagi ahli parti terbesar negara itu selepas mereka menyokong calon pesaing yang juga pemenang pilihan raya Prabowo Subianto.
Lima migran maut ketika cuba memasuki Perancis
Lima termasuk seorang kanak-kanak, maut dalam cubaan menyeberangi Selat Inggeris dari Perancis pada Selasa.