A feeling of perpetual falling?
I’ve often complained that I constantly feel like I’m falling or dropping when sitting still. It’s a terrible feeling, and it really drives me nuts. For me, the feeling comes and goes — it’s worse when I’m tired or hungry.
I just came across a post about Cheryl Schiltz, who constantly feels that she’s falling (here’s the link to the original Telegraph article) because she has lost 95 to 100 percent of her vestibular system.
A case like Cheryl’s would normally be completely hopeless. But due to a specially-fitted construction hat that’s connected to her tongue (yes, you read that right, her tongue), she’s able to actually regain her sense of balance while wearing the hat.
Here’s the Wired Science report on how this device actually works (which I originally found through Dr. X’s Free Associations post on the same subject):