Do you ever feel dizzy, lightheaded, or like the room is spinning? You might be surprised to learn that the cause could be something as small as tiny crystals inside your inner ear. These crystals — called otoconia — play a crucial role in your sense of balance. When they shift out of place, the results can range from mild disorientation to debilitating vertigo.
MC shares her own experience with this firsthand. She has struggled with a condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) — and also navigates a family history of hearing loss, which makes the health of the inner ear very personal for her. If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone.
Why hearing and balance change with age
As we age, hearing problems can arise from several overlapping factors. Understanding them is the first step to protecting what you have — and knowing when to act.
- Presbycusis: The most common age-related hearing loss. It typically affects the ability to hear high-frequency sounds and is caused by changes in the inner ear, auditory nerve, and other parts of the auditory system.
- Noise exposure: Cumulative exposure to loud noises over the years can damage hearing progressively.
- Health conditions: Certain issues — including diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease — can impact hearing.
- Ototoxic medications: Some medications can be harmful to the auditory system, leading to hearing loss.
- Genetic factors: A family history of hearing loss can increase your likelihood of experiencing problems as you age.
- Physical changes: Aging leads to structural changes in the ear, including thickening of the eardrum and changes in the hair cells of the cochlea.
Presbycusis: what it actually feels like
Presbycusis is the medical term for age-related hearing loss. It typically occurs gradually and affects both ears. The challenge is that it sneaks up slowly — most people don't realize how much they've lost until someone points it out.
- Frequency loss: Difficulty hearing high-frequency sounds, such as women's and children's voices, and speech consonants.
- Background noise: Harder to distinguish sounds in noisy environments, making social interactions more difficult.
- Speech clarity: Understanding speech becomes challenging, especially in groups or crowded places.
- Balance issues: The inner ear plays a role in balance, so hearing decline can also contribute to stability problems.
What is BPPV?
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common vestibular disorders. It's caused by tiny calcium crystals — the otoconia — that become dislodged from their normal location in the inner ear and move into the semicircular canals, disrupting normal fluid movement and causing sudden dizziness.
The primary symptom is a sensation of spinning or vertigo, often triggered by specific head movements: tilting the head back, looking up, or rolling over in bed. It can be accompanied by nausea. Healthcare providers typically diagnose it through a physical examination and the Dix-Hallpike maneuver.
“The good news: BPPV is one of the most treatable balance disorders. Simple repositioning maneuvers performed by a trained provider can resolve it quickly.”
What you can do
Getting your hearing checked at least once a year is one of the simplest and most overlooked preventive health steps you can take. Regular testing gives you a baseline and tells you when something has changed. If your hearing begins to decline, there are tools — hearing aids, assistive listening devices, targeted therapy for BPPV — that can make a meaningful difference in your daily life.
If you experience sudden dizziness, recurring vertigo, or a noticeable change in your balance, talk to your doctor. These are real symptoms with real solutions — and getting them addressed early keeps your world from getting smaller.