Did you know your ears aren’t just for hearing? They work together with other systems in your body to help you interpret your space. For example, your ears help you determine what’s around you when you are walking or driving. They are also responsible for helping you keep yourself from falling. When your balance system works properly you don’t have a problem understanding where you are, standing upright, or how to keep yourself from falling. Your eyes, ears, and brain continuously work together to keep you and your balance system on track. When people experience balance disorders, they don’t realize the cause is often hearing loss.
Your Balance and the Inner Ear
The structure of the inner is like a complex maze. It maintains your sense of balance and orientation. This labyrinth called the vestibular system, is comprised of sensitive tissue, bones, and canals which are in charge of balance, hearing, and spatial orientation. When they don’t work properly, you can feel unsteady, wobbly, or in a constant state of motion. You might experience the sensation of vertigo which affects your ability to walk, stand upright or even sit up.
Hearing Loss affects your Balance
Hearing loss affects your ability to detect sounds in your environment since you rely on your hearing to help you navigate your surroundings. You may miss important sounds that alert you to the sound of a car approaching or someone walking toward you. This can also cause you to feel disoriented and off balance because your system relies on sound to help the system with movement and control.
As you age, your reaction time decreases. If you are experiencing hearing loss, your sense of balance is also affected. Your overall risk of falling and getting hurt increases when hearing loss and balance issues are added to the mix. This can occur with mild hearing loss. You may notice that your balance feels off. This could be a sign that you need to be tested for hearing loss.
Hearing loss and balance disorders are closely related to Meniere’s Disease.
What is Meniere’s Disease?
If the parts of the inner ear are not working properly, your balance and equilibrium are affected. This is often diagnosed as Meniere’s Disease which is a disease of the inner ear that causes vertigo and dizziness. It can be a debilitating condition and can have a significant impact on your daily life. You might also experience tinnitus, or a ringing in the ears long with hearing loss, and the sense of fluid in your ear. Meniere’s disease often only affects one ear. If you feel you might be experiencing this, contact your hearing professional for an evaluation.
What is Labyrinthitis?
Labyrinthitis is a specific type of inner ear infection causing inflammation to the inner ear and balance problems. It can also cause hearing loss. This occurs when the nerves responsible for signaling the brain become inflamed and your sense of balance is affected.
This condition can also cause a sudden loss of hearing in the high-frequency range in your one ear. You will experience dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty maintaining your balance.
If you are experiencing symptoms of labyrinthitis, seek medical attention. You may experience an infection in your inner ear or a respiratory infection which will need to be treated with antibiotics.
Hearing Loss Treatment
If your dizziness and balance issues are caused by untreated hearing loss, there is a treatment plan available for you. Our audiologists use state-of-the-art technology to evaluate and treat your hearing loss to provide you with a higher quality of life. Hearing aids are the best treatment for hearing loss. Some people don’t want to wear hearing aids because they worry about how they look. However, with today’s technology, hearing aids are much more discreet and have a very positive impact on your physical and mental health.
We will take you through the treatment process which includes a diagnostic hearing evaluation, hearing aid consultation, and fitting. We also provide a treatment plan that is individually tailored to your hearing loss.
Hearing Loss, Balance issues, and Tinnitus
We have eleven tinnitus treatment options available including sound therapy and tinnitus retraining therapy. We have created a comprehensive hearing plan for you. With our therapy program, we include counseling and Cognitive Behavior Therapy to help retrain your brain to appropriately focus on the sounds you need to hear to navigate the world around you.
What Should I Expect from my Audiologist Appointment?
When you come in for your appointment, we will take a comprehensive health history and ask you questions about your lifestyle. During this appointment, we will provide a thorough hearing evaluation so we can provide you with a diagnosis. We will spend time with you and share a personalized treatment plan that fits your lifestyle. If you are experiencing balance problems, you might be experiencing hearing loss. Set up an appointment today with Hearing Associates of Las Vegas to help you with your hearing and balance.
info@hearingassociateslv.com
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