Kids have a tendency to fall on a daily basis. Wiping out on your bike? That’s normal. Stumbling over your own feet when you’re running outside? Happens all of the time. It isn’t really a worry because, well, kids are quite limber. They don’t usually stay down for very long.
As you get older though, that becomes less and less true. The older you get, the more concerning a fall can be. To some extent, that’s because your bones generally break more easily (and heal slower). Older individuals may have a more difficult time getting up after a tumble, so they spend more time in pain lying on the floor. Because of this, falls are the number one injury-related cause of death in people over 65.
It’s not surprising, then, that healthcare professionals are always on the hunt for tools and devices that can reduce falls. Hearing aids may be just such a device according to research.
Can hearing loss cause falls?
If you want to know how hearing aids could possibly prevent a fall, you need to ask this relevant question: is it feasible that hearing loss can raise your chance of falling? It looks as if the answer may be, yes.
So the question is, why would the risk of falling be increased by hearing loss?
That association isn’t really that intuitive. Hearing loss doesn’t really, after all, impact your ability to move or see. But it turns out there are a few symptoms of hearing loss that do have this type of direct impact on your ability to get around, and these symptoms can result in a higher risk of having a fall. Here are a few of those symptoms:
- Loss of balance: How can hearing loss effect your balance? Well, your overall balance depends heavily on your inner ear. So when hearing loss affects your inner ear, you may find yourself a bit more likely to get dizzy, experience vertigo, or have difficulty keeping your balance. Essentially, you have a tendency to fall more often.
- Exhaustion: When you’re dealing with neglected hearing loss, your ears are constantly straining, and your brain is often working extra hard. Your brain will be constantly exhausted as a result. An alert brain will identify and avoid obstacles, which will lessen the chance of falling.
- Depression: Social isolation and possibly even mental decline can be the result of neglected hearing loss. You are likely to be at home a lot more when you’re socially separated, and tripping hazards will be all around without anybody to help you.
- You have less situational awareness: When you have untreated hearing loss, you may not be as able to hear that approaching vehicle, or the barking dog next to you, or the sound of your neighbor’s footsteps. Your situational awareness may be substantially affected, in other words. Can hearing loss make you clumsy like this? Well, sort of, loss of situational awareness can make everyday tasks a bit more dangerous. And that means you might be slightly more likely to accidentally bump into something, and have a tumble.
- High-pitched sounds get lost: You know how when you go into a concert hall, you immediately detect that you’re in a huge venue, even if your eyes are closed? Or when you jump into a car and you instantly know you’re in close quarters? Your ears are actually using something similar to “echolocation” and high-frequency sound to help your spatial awareness. When you’re unable to hear high-frequency sounds due to hearing loss, you can’t make those judgments quite as quickly or easily. Loss of situational awareness and disorientation can be the outcome.
Part of the link between falling and hearing loss is also in your age. You’re more likely to experience progressing and permanent hearing loss. That will raise the chance of falling. As a result, when you get older, falls are more likely to have serious consequences.
How can the danger of falling be reduced by using hearing aids?
If hearing loss is part of the problem, it makes sense that hearing aids would be part of the solution. And new research has confirmed that. Your danger of falling could be lowered by up to 50% according to one study.
The link between remaining on your feet and hearing loss wasn’t always this evident. That’s partly because individuals often fail to wear their hearing aids. As a result, falls among “hearing aid users” were often inconclusive. This was because individuals weren’t using their hearing aids, not because their hearing aids were broken.
The approach of this research was carried out differently and perhaps more precisely. People who used their hearing aids now and again were segregated from individuals who used them all of the time.
So why does wearing your hearing aids help you prevent falls? They keep you less fatigued, more focused, and generally more alert. It also helps that you have added spatial awareness. In addition, many hearing aids include safety features designed to activate in the case of a fall. Help will arrive quicker this way.
Consistently wearing your hearing aids is the key here.
Invest in your fall prevention devices today
Hearing aids can help you reunite with your friends, enjoy quality moments with your family members, and remain in touch with everybody who’s significant in your life.
They can also help prevent a fall!
If you want to know more about how hearing aids could help you, make an appointment with us right away.
