A Balancing Act

They say life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving..... or not!

If anyone has ever experienced vertigo you will know what I mean. Your balance system is made up of 3 things, what your eyes see, what your joints feel and what is picked up by the balance part of your inner ear. Your inner ear can detect the direction you are travelling and what speed your head is moving at, as well as being able to determine if you are moving in a straight line.

Vertigo and balance problems can be common in deaf people, affecting up to 30%, especially if the deafness is sudden. The feeling of dizziness is unnerving and can catch you off guard at the strangest times. To look up at a tall building, to roll over in bed, and to move your head in certain directions can be just a few every day things that can throw you off balance. The sicky, room spinny, anxious and unsteady feeling was all to familiar in the year after I went deaf on the left side. To begin with I was offered tablets as a quick fix, after researching possible side effects I noticed that 'dizziness' and 'nausea' were common.......ummm hello?!

 I decided to do some of my own research and have a read of what might help. As a dance teacher the odds were good that this wasn't going to last forever and I was advised to 'carry on as normal' whenever I could. I was told that my body would quickly adjust the best it could and that years of tapping and turning could be a big advantage. Research shows that dancers use more muscle groups, even just walking across a flat floor, than people who had no dance training. This showed that dance training can strengthen the nervous systems' ability to coordinate muscle groups, therefore helping to keep balance. My pirouettes looked like a 5 year olds but all the more reason to keep trying right?
I tried yoga, meditation (yes I actually stayed quiet for more than 10 minutes!), fizzy drinks (I have no idea why this worked for me but it did) and standing on 1 leg. As silly as it sounds it actually all helped. Apparently if you are below the age of 60 you should be able to stand on 1 leg, close your eyes, rise up on to your tip toe and hold for 21 seconds..... I managed 2! Over 60's should be able to manage 10 seconds....don't pretend that your not trying it out right now! 

I'm lucky enough to work at a gymnastics academy meaning I have endless use of equipment, my goal was to be able to walk across the beam without falling off by the end of last year, after a lot of failed attempts I did it! Practice makes perfect. My balance will never be great but I have to stay positive and keep moving forward. This time last year I could barely walk in a straight line, this year I'm back to taking dance classes, and spinning around like fairy with my baby ballerinas. Until next time...

To keep up with all blog posts past and present please like my facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/heartodaygonetomorrow/