Most people are aware that hearing loss can disrupt clear communication and impair background awareness, but fewer understand its impact on balance.
How Does Hearing Relate To Balance?
Your hearing and balance organs live in the inner ear:
- Hearing. The hearing system consists of the cochlea and the auditory nerve. The cochlea is a spiral-shaped, fluid-filled organ that receives sound vibrations and changes them into electrical signals. The auditory nerve carries these signals to the brain, which interprets them as sound.
- Balance. The balance system consists of the semicircular canals and the saccule and utricle organs. The semicircular canals are three curved, fluid-filled tubes in the inner ear that detect head movements and rotations. The utricle and saccule are small organs that sense straight-line movement, such as moving forward, backward, up or down. Tiny sensory hair cells and crystal-like structures called otoconia move with your head and send signals to the brain to help you stay balanced.
How Can Hearing Damage Affect Balance?
Because the hearing and balance organs sit so close together, damage to one may cause damage to the other. A few inner-ear conditions that can impact both include labyrinthitis, Ménière’s disease, ear infections and acoustic neuromas.
Inner ear hearing loss itself can also impact balance. A 2013 study suggested two additional reasons why patients with hearing loss may struggle with balance:
- Lack of auditory cues can limit background awareness.
- The added effort it takes to move about the world with hearing loss doesn’t leave you with enough energy to focus on balance.
Findings from a 2025 meta-analysis of 27 hearing and balance studies support the 2013 study. The analysis found that patients with hearing loss had an increased risk of falls, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, compared to their counterparts without hearing loss.
The Role of Hearing Loss Treatment
We need more research to fully understand the relationship between hearing aid adoption and improved balance. What we do know is that hearing aids can improve your spatial awareness and reduce the mental effort required to navigate the world, leaving you with more energy to focus on maintaining your balance.
Beyond helping with balance, hearing aids make communication easier and improve your safety. They let you enjoy conversations with loved ones or play sports in Woodcreek Reserve Park without worrying that you’ll miss important auditory cues.
For more information about the benefits of hearing loss treatment, schedule an appointment with one of our specialists at Today’s Hearing.