When you descend a flight of stairs or have to walk across uneven terrain, do you feel a little less confident than you used to?
A feeling of unsteadiness as you go about your normal day-to-day activities can be an early indicator of hearing loss and the cause of dizziness, vertigo, and/or balance disorders.
In a study recently published in The Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, researchers Joseph Sakumura, AuD, and Richard Gans, PhD, reveal that hearing loss increases your risk of falling.
It is critical to understand the importance of these findings because the CDC reports that there are over 800,000 annual hospitalizations for injuries related to falls and 27,000 subsequent deaths.
How do these statistics relate to hearing loss? Keep reading.
3 Conditions That Increase Your Risk of Falling
The Sakumura-Gans study explored how cognitive, vestibular, and auditory function relate to fall risk management, identifying three conditions that increase your risk of falling:
- Hearing Loss: Hearing loss leads to a three-times higher risk of falling.
- Cognitive Impairment: The consequence of mild cognitive impairment can produce a fourteen-times higher risk of falling due to declining postural stability.
- Vestibular Dysfunction: A vestibular dysfunction can produce a twelve-times greater fall risk.
When you consider that hearing loss only leads to a three-times higher risk of falling, you might assume that it is the least important of the three. In reality, untreated hearing loss is directly linked to causing both of the other two issues, meaning that it is at the root of all three fall risk conditions.
Hearing Loss Leads to Cognitive Decline
According to the study cited above, hearing loss is the primary contributor to cognitive decline. It further explains that “patients with even mild cognitive impairment in domains of; visuo-spatial processing, executive function, memory recall, and reaction times are 14 times more likely to have degraded postural stability and elevated fall risk.”
When it comes to preventing or treating cognitive decline, hearing loss is the number one modifiable risk factor, which means that reducing your fall risk is directly tied to treating your hearing loss.
How Are Your Ears Related to Vestibular Dysfunction?
Eighty-five percent of the sensory information required to help you maintain your balance comes from the vestibular system in your inner ear.
The hair cells located in the cochlea not only transmit sound signals to the brain as the final process in hearing, but they also detect changes to your body’s position to help you stay in balance. As these tiny cells become damaged due to ongoing exposure to noise or age deterioration, they suffer permanent sensorineural hearing loss, and they also have a reduced capacity to deliver the necessary sensory information to keep you steady on your feet.
Unfortunately, as you age, the other 15 percent of your vestibular function, your vision and your somatosensory system (your motor skills), become compromised, further amplifying your risk of falling.
Treating Hearing Loss Is Essential
Since they are so strongly linked to the two conditions that produce the highest risk of falling, taking care of your ears and treating your hearing loss is a critical step toward decreasing your risk of falling.
Linked to the Sakumura-Gans, additional studies demonstrate how hearing aids help improve both balance and cognitive function. One such study by the City University of New York (CUNY) in 2021 that showed improved balance and decreased frequency of falling among individuals with hearing loss who use their hearing aids.
A Hearing Assessment Is Your First Line of Defense
Dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders can lead to critical injuries or even death if you fall.
If you’re concerned about your risk of falling or that of a loved one, your first line of defense against falling is a hearing assessment. A hearing assessment at Beltone Hearing will identify the underlying cause and severity of your hearing challenges and guide the treatment process.
Schedule a hearing assessment using this link or call us at (888) 691-3821.
