Your hearing brings the sweet melody of your favorite song, the voice of a loved one, the slight crunch of dry leaves on the ground and so much more. One additional thing your ears help you do that you may not know about is balance.
When you develop hearing loss, you might notice a slight unsteadiness as you move about the world. Let’s take a look at why that might happen.
Evidence Linking Falls and Hearing Changes
An extensive review of existing studies examined data from millions of adults across a wide range of ages and health backgrounds. The review concluded that adults with hearing loss were significantly more likely to experience falls compared to those with healthy hearing.
What made the findings compelling was their consistency. Regardless of how long they measured hearing loss, how long they followed participants or whether they included other factors like vision issues, the trend remained the same.
Why Would Hearing Loss Affect Balance?
At first, hearing and balance might seem unrelated. But the two systems are closely connected inside the inner ear, and researchers have proposed several explanations for why hearing difficulties may raise the risk of falling:
- Shared inner-ear structures. The cochlea (responsible for hearing) and the vestibular organs (responsible for balance) sit next to each other, and dysfunction in one system may affect the other.
- Increased cognitive load. Straining to hear takes mental energy. The more your brain works to decode sound, the less capacity it may have to maintain balance or react quickly to unexpected changes.
- Fewer environmental cues. Sound helps you remain aware of your surroundings. When hearing fades, you may lose subtle auditory information—like footsteps, approaching movement or changes in space—that supports spatial awareness.
We need more clinical studies to determine exactly how hearing treatment affects fall prevention. Still, we do know that hearing aids can restore access to environmental cues and reduce the cognitive strain caused by untreated hearing loss.
Start Managing Hearing Loss Today
Regular hearing evaluations, early treatment and consistent follow-up care can help you stay steady on your feet and connected to the world around you.
How Hearing Loss May Influence Your Risk of Falling
Your hearing brings the sweet melody of your favorite song, the voice of a loved one, the slight crunch of dry leaves on the ground and so much more. One additional thing your ears help you do that you may not know about is balance.
When you develop hearing loss, you might notice a slight unsteadiness as you move about the world. Let’s take a look at why that might happen.
Evidence Linking Falls and Hearing Changes
An extensive review of existing studies examined data from millions of adults across a wide range of ages and health backgrounds. The review concluded that adults with hearing loss were significantly more likely to experience falls compared to those with healthy hearing.
What made the findings compelling was their consistency. Regardless of how long they measured hearing loss, how long they followed participants or whether they included other factors like vision issues, the trend remained the same.
Why Would Hearing Loss Affect Balance?
At first, hearing and balance might seem unrelated. But the two systems are closely connected inside the inner ear, and researchers have proposed several explanations for why hearing difficulties may raise the risk of falling:
- Shared inner-ear structures. The cochlea (responsible for hearing) and the vestibular organs (responsible for balance) sit next to each other, and dysfunction in one system may affect the other.
- Increased cognitive load. Straining to hear takes mental energy. The more your brain works to decode sound, the less capacity it may have to maintain balance or react quickly to unexpected changes.
- Fewer environmental cues. Sound helps you remain aware of your surroundings. When hearing fades, you may lose subtle auditory information—like footsteps, approaching movement or changes in space—that supports spatial awareness.
We need more clinical studies to determine exactly how hearing treatment affects fall prevention. Still, we do know that hearing aids can restore access to environmental cues and reduce the cognitive strain caused by untreated hearing loss.
Start Managing Hearing Loss Today
Regular hearing evaluations, early treatment and consistent follow-up care can help you stay steady on your feet and connected to the world around you.
If you’ve noticed changes in your hearing or simply want a baseline evaluation, our team is here to help. Schedule a hearing test with Advantage ENT & Audiology today, our team is here to help. Schedule a hearing test with Advantage ENT & Audiology today.