Yes, hearing loss can affect your balance, and the risk of falling increases as hearing gets worse. Studies show that a person with mild hearing loss or worse was three times more likely to have reported a fall over the past year. Our ears use sounds like footsteps from our environment to help us balance while walking, so if you have hearing loss, you may miss these important cues.

Your inner ear is also home to the vestibular (balance) system, which works alongside your cochlea (hearing) but has a different job: helping you stay upright and keep your vision steady. Because the two share the same neural pathways, changes in one can sometimes affect the other, which is why you may feel dizzy when you have a blocked ear.

Hearing loss comes in several forms, including age-related hearing loss (presbycusis), noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Poor balance doesn’t always mean you have hearing loss or a vestibular condition, but if changes to your hearing or balance are affecting your confidence, safety or quality of life, it’s worth having a hearing and balance assessment with an audiologist.

Lin, F. R., & Ferrucci, L. (2012). Hearing Loss and Falls Among Older Adults in the United States. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(4), 369. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.728

To learn more, browse the Balance & Hearing Health category or the Hearing Health category page.