5 Ways You're Hurting Your Balance and How to Fix It
I'm not talking about your bank balance, but your physical, stay-upright-don't-fall balance.Think you don't have a problem? You may be right, yet the vast majority of balance problems go unnoticed until someone actually falls and injures themselves. And whether you're 35 or 75, recovering from a fall is whole lot harder than not falling over in the first place. But with a little self knowledge, you can assess some of your possible weaknesses, and take action without needing to become a statistic (every 20 seconds someone over 65 has to visit the ER because they've injured themselves in a fall).
You sit down all day. The human body is brilliant at adaptation. The most common reason people in retirement fall over is because they've spent the last 40 years sitting down and their muscles have adapted to doing that very well, and lost their earlier ease for movement. Fortunately, this change can be reversed by challenging the body again: exercise that targets strength, flexibility and balance will send different signals to your brain and muscles and they will start to respond. Start slowly, and seek help. A class like Tai Chi, which also incorporates breathing exercises, has been shown to be particularly good for improving balance.
You've started new medication. Or changed the dosage. Many medicines affect your balance, either over the short term while your body adjusts, or longer term because of interractions with other drugs (including over the counter medicines) you may be taking. Always take professional advice from your doctor or pharmacist. Talk to them about how all your medications make you feel and they can help make sure they're not increasing your risk of falling.
Your eyesight is poor. Our eyes play an enormously important role in keeping us balanced, and not only by warning us of holes we may drop into or obstacles we may trip over. Our brains compare input from other senses with the information coming in through our eyes to tell if we're leaning, standing upright, moving, or stationary. That moment of confusion many people experience when stepping off a moving treadmill is a good example of this. As eyesight can deteriorate over time, it is worth checking in with an optometrist yearly to ensure your eyes are working at their best.
You suffer from hearing loss. This can be a problem on two levels. One, you may not become aware of a hazard until too late, resulting in sudden movement and possible loss of balance. Secondly, with loss of hearing, many people withdraw from their surroundings, tuning out some of the other senses as well. This can make you additionally vulnerable. Sometimes being aware of this tendency can be enough to make a conscious effort to stay alert. In other cases, it can be worth seeing a doctor about hearing aides.
You're depressed or anxious about falling. Both depression and anxiety can lead people to disengage from those around them, physically and emotionally. Often people avoid going out and doing things they used to enjoy because they're worried about falling . But studies have shown that such behaviour actually increases the risk of having a fall. The best protection is to stay active and engaged in your life, in order to maintain an alert brain, and strong, flexible muscles.
September is National Fall Prevention Month, and there are events going on all around the country to help raise awareness and put people back on their feet. Falling is not a natural part of aging. But you might have to do something about it to make sure it doesn't happen to you.