Most people rely fundamentally on their vision to get through the day. Whether it’s for work or conversation, we clearly rely on our eyes to get by. However, in more subtle ways, we also rely on our ears.
Our ears perform several tasks, some of which are more noticeable than others. In addition to letting us hear words and sounds made by others, our ears also play an essential role in our balance.
Because of this, when people begin to undergo hearing loss, they often suffer from balance issues also. Several types of balance issues attend a loss of hearing, each of which can be disorienting and distressing.
If you notice your balance slipping, don’t worry. In this article, we’ll cover different types of balance issues and some ways to prevent them.
Let’s get started!
What Are Balance Disorders?
Before we start delving into particular balance issues, let’s first define what a balance disorder is. A balance disorder is a condition that leads to the loss of balance or a sense of dizziness.
They have many causes often associated with inner-ear balance issues. These include ear infections, a loss of hearing, or tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing sound in your ears).
If you’re wondering whether you experience balance disorders, check for some rather noticeable signs. If you feel like you’re tipping forward, spinning, or floating, even when you remain motionless, these indicate a balance disorder.
Other symptoms include experiencing marked dizziness, especially when you get up from bed or roll over. Alternatively, you may catch yourself stumbling increasingly or holding walls to balance yourself.
The severity of one’s symptoms depends on the person and the cause of the problem. The actual condition afflicting you also plays a part in determining your symptoms. So, in the next few sections, we’ll discuss specific balance issues and disorders and how they begin.
Balance Issues Caused by Age: Occlusion (Hearing Loss)
As mentioned before, inner ear balance issues are often the root cause of balance issues. This part of the ear especially pertains to balance issues in elderly people, whose ears start giving them trouble as they age.
One of the most common conditions for elderly ears to suffer is occlusion. As people get older, the blood vessel walls often thick due to various aging processes. As a result, partial occlusion begins in the inner ears.
This occlusion results in a decrease in blood flow to your inner ear structures. In most cases, your body adjusts to regulate your balance, but sometimes your system slips. These slips result in repeated unsteadiness.
You may further aggravate the unsteadiness when you move positions suddenly. Turning around sharply or getting up quickly often trigger this.
In a more severe scenario, your inner ear may experience complete occlusion, also called thrombosis, which results in acute dizziness. In many cases, this dizziness induces heightened levels of nausea and vomiting.
These symptoms may remain for many days, eventually followed by gradual decreases in dizziness and nausea. This decrease happens as the clear ear and the central nervous system adapt and compensate for the occlusion of the other ear.
Atypical Migraines and Basilar Migraines
Sometimes inner ear dizziness occurs through blood vessel spams. This dizziness often strikes suddenly, although it comes at intermittent times. Its frequency depends on the patient’s body.
For some people, this dizziness will occur as a one-off occasion. Other people may experience these symptoms with more regularity. If so, it usually happens as a result of migraine symptoms.
Determining the source of the migraine can help to mitigate these symptoms. In many cases, migraines come from fatigue or intensive stress. You can further aggravate these symptoms by using common drugs, such as caffeine or nicotine.
When these spasms begin, they may do so independently of any condition in your inner ear. However, if they happen frequently, they may cause damage to your inner-ear structures. If you repeatedly suffer migraine-induced dizziness, consult a doctor about the causes.
Labyrinthitis Damage
Another widespread inner ear disorder is labyrinthitis. This condition results from one of your vestibular nerves becoming inflamed. Your vestibular nerves send the brain information about spatial navigation and balance control.
When this communication becomes disrupted, it leads to several unpleasant symptoms. On the milder end, you may experience dizziness or nausea. On the more extreme end, it could lead to hearing loss.
Likewise, labyrinthitis can cause vertigo. This type of dizziness creates the feeling of movement, even if you remain still. It can have several adverse effects on driving, working, exercise, and other activities.
Labyrinthitis rarely occurs in a vacuum. Usually, it happens as a result of preceding conditions, such as bronchitis. Thankfully, you can combat some of the symptoms through medication use.
What to Do if Hearing Disrupts Balance
If you experience balance issues because of hearing loss, there are a few options available to you. Generally, the first step is to contact a local audiologist to help determine the state of your hearing. If you suffer from symptoms like vertigo, make sure to arrange for transportation.
An audiologist can help you determine the cause of your hearing loss through various hearing exams. From there, they can prescribe you medication to help address the issue at its source.
If your ear has suffered permanent damage, they can also prescribe hearing aids to help restore you to your regular way of life. They may also recommend hearing and speech rehabilitation therapies.
Find an Audiologist Today!
If you suffer from balance issues, there’s a strong likelihood your hearing or inner ear lies at the source. As such, don’t waste time trying to treat symptoms alone. Contact your audiologist today and treat the problem at its source.
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