It’s a common part of life to have decreased hearing in our senior years. Unfortunately, many find themselves dealing with balance issues as well. This can lead many to ponder whether or not hearing and balance are reliant on one another.

The truth is that hearing can negatively affect your ability to stay balanced. In fact, a study was done on a group of elderly patients over the age of 65. These individuals were asked to perform various balance tests with their hearing aids on and with them off. The study revealed that patients performed better on these balance tests when their hearing aids were turned on.

Sound Feeds Balance Cues

The human body is a very complex system, which is why medical professionals are making new correlations every day. Most recently, the correlation between hearing and balance was proven realistic. While the extent of their dependence on one another isn’t fully known, an obvious assumption can be made. It seems that the sounds in the environment around us provide distinctive cues on how to stay balanced.

It’s easy to see how obvious scenarios, like a person or object falling near us, can alert us to stop and prevent a fall. However, the balance tests that were performed didn’t have any of these apparent scenarios played out. They simply required the participant to maintain their balance. This makes it clear that there are more discreet ways that hearing helps us to maintain balance. We’ll just have to keep studying more to find out exactly why.

Hearing Aids To The Rescue

Ask any expert that handles hearing aids, and they can tell you about all the negative effects that hearing loss can have in terms of balance. Some of the most noted are social isolation, cognitive decline, and auditory system shrinkage. Hearing loss that is left untreated can be the start of many unhealthy conditions. As you’ve learned, it can even increase your risk of being involved in a fall.

When a person first realizes that they’re experiencing hearing loss, they should seek professional audiological help. A hearing care specialist can evaluate a person’s hearing loss and recommend the proper hearing aids to fit their needs. The sooner the patient can use their hearing aids, the lower the risk of developing the unhealthy conditions above.

Call Us Today

Our hearing care specialists are ready and able to assist you in treating your hearing problems. As soon as you notice a difference in your hearing, it’s time to contact us. The early treatment of hearing loss is the key to helping to keep your fall risk at bay.