Hearing doctor Mesa Chandler Gilbert Phoenix

Hearing loss gets more and more common as people get older. Another health issue that commonly affects older people is falls. In fact, according to the CDC, one in four people over the age of 65 experiences a fall each year. A fall can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life, and can lead to significant injuries in some cases.

While hearing loss and falls may not initially seem to be connected, there’s actually a strong link between these two conditions. How does hearing loss affect the risk of falls? How are these two conditions connected?

Hearing loss is linked to an increased risk of falls

There is a strong link between hearing loss and the risk of a fall. Studies have shown that even mild hearing loss triples the risk of experiencing a fall. The more severe the hearing loss, the greater the risk of a fall. For every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss, the risk of a fall increases by about 40%.

How is hearing loss linked to falls?

Why does hearing loss increase the risk of a fall? There are several different ways that these two conditions could be linked.

• Vestibular function. Your vestibular organs act to detect your body’s relationship to gravity and help you keep your balance. They’re located in the inner ear, along with the cochlea, the main organ of hearing. Age-related changes in the inner ear affect both of these organs, causing hearing loss as well as balance problems that can cause a fall.
• Cognitive load. This refers to the amount of work that your brain is doing at any given moment. In people with hearing loss, processing sounds takes a lot more cognitive work, because the brain is working with incomplete information. This leaves less processing power to devote to paying attention to balance as you’re walking. It may not seem like walking takes a lot of processing power, but there’s actually a lot going on to allow you to balance, especially on uneven surfaces. Hearing loss leaves your brain with less processing power to do this, which can cause you to fall.
• Environmental awareness. People with hearing loss are less aware of the environment around them. The brain has one less source of information to use to help you navigate. This makes people less aware of potential environmental hazards, which makes them more likely to fall. Your awareness of where your body is in space may also be affected by hearing loss, which also makes balance more difficult.

Hearing doctor Mesa Chandler Gilbert Phoenix

A fall can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life and ability to function. In severe cases, it can even be fatal. It’s important to take actions to decrease the risk of falls, particularly for older people. One such action is to address hearing loss. Wearing hearing aids can help to decrease the amount of work that your brain has to do to interpret sounds, and give your brain back sound as a source of information about the environment. This can help to reduce the chances that you’ll fall.
If you believe that you might have hearing loss, it’s important to get a hearing test. Going to a qualified hearing doctor will ensure that you get a complete and thorough hearing test, and that you’ll get the best possible treatment if you do have hearing loss. Dr. Cassandra Fynes and Roger Knighton have graduate-level training in the field of hearing health, and have decades of experience in diagnosing and treating hearing problems. To schedule your appointment, please contact our office.