All Ears Hearing and Tinnitus Podcast14 Huhti

Why Hearing Loss Increases Fall Risk (And What to Do About It)

Falls are often blamed on aging, vision changes, or muscle weakness—but hearing loss is an overlooked and modifiable risk factor that plays a major role in balance and safety. In this episode, Dr. Layne Garrett explains why even mild hearing loss can significantly increase fall risk, and what the science actually shows about the connection between hearing, the brain, and stability.

Drawing on large population studies and clinical research, Dr. Garrett breaks down three key mechanisms: increased cognitive load (also called auditory load), reduced spatial awareness, and shared inner ear pathology affecting both hearing and balance. When the brain has to work harder just to hear, fewer resources are available for maintaining balance and spatial orientation—especially in busy or unfamiliar environments.

You'll also hear how consistent, properly verified hearing aid use may reduce fall risk, why real ear measurement (REM) matters, and what Dr. Garrett observes in everyday clinical practice when hearing loss is treated. This conversation reframes hearing care not just as a quality-of-life issue, but as an important part of fall prevention, brain health, and long-term independence.

You can learn more here.

If you'd like to explore more resources about hearing loss and tinnitus, visit our online learning center.

And if you're in Northern Utah and want support from our team, you can schedule an appointment anytime at: utahhearingaids.com

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I've used Lenire for Tinnitus Patients for 2 Years.- Here's What I've Learned

After two years as Utah's only standalone full-time Lenire provider, Dr. Layne Garrett breaks down who responds to this FDA-approved tinnitus device — and who doesn't. Two 2025 studies from real US c...

29 Syys 10min

Oticon Reveal: An Audiologist's Honest First Take

25 Syys 9min

The 7 Types of Tinnitus: What Your Sound Means

Not all tinnitus is the same. The type of sound you're hearing — ringing, hissing, buzzing, a low roar, pulsatile beating, clicking, or music — points toward different origins, different evaluation ap...

22 Syys 9min

5 Common Hearing Aid Problems and How to Fix Them

If your hearing aids still feel noisy, uncomfortable, frustrating, or not helpful enough, it can be easy to wonder whether you bought the wrong devices — or whether hearing aids just do not work for y...

18 Syys 11min

Hearing Your Heartbeat in Your Ear? What It Means

A rhythmic whooshing or thumping sound timed to your pulse is a different clinical presentation than standard ringing tinnitus — and it deserves a different evaluation. Dr. Layne Garrett, Au.D., found...

15 Syys 8min

Sound Preference Testing: What It Reveals

More than one in three people who invest in hearing aids stop wearing them regularly. Dr. Garrett makes the case that this outcome is almost entirely predictable — and preventable — with two steps mos...

11 Syys 9min

The Tinnitus-Antidepressant Connection: A Clinician's Take

A 2026 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identified a direct neural pathway from serotonin-producing brainstem neurons to a key auditory relay station. Activating ...

8 Syys 9min

Treating Hearing Loss Before 70: Why Timing Matters

A major 7-year study just found that hearing aids significantly reduced dementia risk — but didn't improve memory test scores. This week, Dr. Garrett unpacks why those findings aren't in conflict, and...

4 Syys 8min