Read 58 times since Thursday, July 28, 2011
Balance is the correlation between eyes, ears, joint and muscle activity. The main place for balance is in the inner ear.
Deep in the labyrinth of the fragile inner ear, there is a place called the vestibular nerve. This kind of works like a bobber in water.
When we are spinning or falling or upside down the pressure in our inner ear is telling us something is wrong. This keeps us standing straight, even when it is really windy outside.
Because the inner workings of our ears are so fragile, there are a lot of balance related disorders. For example there is vertigo, the feeling of everything spinning. Some people may even experience visual blurring and disorientation.
Disorientation is to lose your bearings; it is when you find yourself confused about where you are or which direction you are facing. This is common in deep sea divers, when the added pressure of all the water in the ocean is building upon your inner ear, it is easy to experience disorientation.
Drinking alcohol will also give you the feeling of disorientation or vertigo. Alcohol can additionally cause temporary disruptions in the vestibular nerve, causing light-headedness and dizziness, though there are many long term side effects from alcohol, disorientation and dizziness are both only temporary.
As we age, our hearing starts to go and with it and so does our balance. It is not just because our muscles start to deteriorate, but also because our inner ear starts to malfunction as well.
By the time you hit 60, you are at a 40 percent chance for a fall. However, there are ways that we can take care of ourselves so that we don't ever completely lose our balance.
First, get regular ear exams. If there are any disorders in there, your physician will know what to do and help you take care of it before it becomes a big problem. If you are infected with an ear disease or infection and are prolonging a checkup, you may be sacrificing your future balance.
Keeping a good posture will maintain balance as well. When you have bad posture, you are at risk for skeletal deformation.
This has obvious implications on balance; if your skeletal structure is not in line, your weight will be thrown to one side. This will throw off your center of balance.
Yoga and Pilates can help maintain balance throughout your lifetime as well. Both these exercises, though they emphasized different areas, will help strengthen core muscle, like your back and abdomen.
These exercises are to be performed daily through cardio exercises and stretches. Stretching muscles will tear the fiber causing them to rebuild themselves stronger.
This will give you stronger and more flexible muscles. Interestingly enough, the most flexible people always have the best balance too.
Balance is an important thing. Make sure you keep in mind the ways to maintain and strengthen your balance and you will be in good shape. Destry Masterson is a health, fitness and nutrition expert. She has written articles about diet and exercise and recommends http://www.treadmillsensei.com for information about treadmills.
Contact Info:
Destry Masterson - MyOnlineArticleWriting@gmail.com - Twitter: @DestryMasterson
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