The Importance of Balance – Our Sixth Sense

Transform Your Health
The Importance of Balance - Our Sixth Sense

Scroll down to READ or 🎧 click here to listen​

Since grade school we have constantly been taught that we, as humans, have 5 senses: Sight, Smell, Touch, Hearing, and Taste. Yet there is another sense that is often overlooked, namely our sense of balance. Our balance, more specifically the perception of our movement through space, increases during childhood and slowly diminishes as we age, particularly in our elderly years. Recent research has shown that one’s ability to balance in later years is a reliable predictor of overall health and lifespan. Though strength is crucial to well-being in old age, scientists argue that balance plays a much bigger role. Changes that occur with aging, such as declined strength or inefficient gait, are far less accurate predictors of health than one’s ability to balance.

A new Mayo Clinic study finds that people who can balance on one leg have a lower risk of age-related injuries. It is also used to determine overall health. The lead author of the research, Dr. Kenton Kaufman, explains how balance is an important measure for biological aging, by linking it to various bodily functions.

He explains, balancing not only requires muscle strength, it also needs input from vision, the vestibular system (structures between the brain and inner ear that help balance), and the somatosensory systems (sensory nervous system to process the sensation of the body). This is referred to as proprioception.

New research also shows that “Unintentional falls are the leading cause of injuries among adults who are 65 and older,” most of which happen due to loss of balance. But perhaps more importantly, other research has found a link between low balance scores and an increased risk of death from any cause. So, is a balance test a good predictor of lifespan? Researchers found those with the highest balance scores had an average 3.7% death rate of any cause. The death rate tripled to 11% for those with an average balance score. Those in the lowest score group had a 42% increased death rate. Keep in mind that correlation does not necessarily mean causation. Conversely it demonstrates that having good balance is an important part of maintaining one’s overall health.

Don’t worry if you aren’t good at balancing; like many skills, you can train yourself for it. Here’s how to do it:

Stand on one leg by taking the foot of the other leg and placing it behind the knee of the leg you are standing on. The goal is to stand on one leg for at least 30 seconds. You should practice daily by standing on one leg and increasing the duration as you get better. If you have difficulty, practice using 1 finger on a nearby piece of furniture to help you balance. Do this daily until you can stand on one leg without using a finger to help, then gradually increase the duration. Gradually increase the time until you can do this until you can do it for 1 minute. This will strengthen the many stabilizer or secondary mover muscles in your legs and feet. This will also improve your proprioception; the communication between your muscles and your brain.

Furthermore, 2 variations on this balancing exercise can really improve your muscular strength and balance. First, try the above exercise with your eyes closed. This will increase the level of difficulty, ultimately improving your balance even more. Alternatively, instead of closing your eyes, try this while standing on a cushioned pad, like a pad used for kneeling on the ground while doing gardening. The softness of the pad makes your muscles work harder than if you are standing on a hard surface.

In summary, it’s never too late to improve one’s balance. Many wrongly assume that loss of balance is just a normal function of aging. Research says otherwise. Said less eloquently but equally true: “If you don’t use it, you lose it”.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Everday Balance Exercises, coming soon.