If you have a hearing loss, you may be more likely to be at risk of falling, according to a recent study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
People with impaired hearing can also suffer from a reduced awareness of their overall environment, making them more likely to trip and fall. The demands on the brain that come with hearing loss can literally overwhelm response time necessary to stay upright.
Balance and gait are easily taken for granted, but they are in fact very cognitively demanding.
Researchers found that people with a 25-decibel hearing loss, usually characterized as mild, were nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling, compared to those with no hearing loss. Every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss was linked to a 50 percent increased risk of falling. When you lose your hearing, even by degrees, you lose a lot of the world around you. Your safety can also be at risk!
Contact our office for a hearing examination today; don’t wait for problems to arise tomorrow.