Balance Archive

Setting health goals can help people in their 50s avoid developing a chronic condition that can hamper healthy aging. Goals can include improving balance through various exercises; learning a new skill to improve brain sharpness; seeking age-appropriate cancer screenings, such as for colorectal, cervical, and breast cancers; prioritizing bone health by boosting calcium and vitamin D intake and weight-bearing exercise; maintaining muscle strength through strength and resistance training; and paying closer attention to diet.

Bouts of dizziness can be unsettling sensations that may last only a few seconds or linger for several minutes or even longer. Episodes may be isolated or recurrent. Many people have a difficult time articulating what they experience when they say they feel dizzy, because the term encompasses a range of sensations like lightheadedness, wooziness, unsteadiness, or spinning. To help identify the cause, people should first consider whether they are experiencing primarily lightheadedness or vertigo.

If it's hard to fit balance training into a busy schedule, it might be easier to just do a one-minute balance exercise at different points in the day. Those points might occur during TV watching, cooking, or toothbrushing. Ideas for simple balance exercises include standing on one leg, heel raises, or sit-to-stands—going from a sitting to a standing position, arms crossed, then returning to a sitting position and repeating the process. It's best to stand near a counter or chair for support.

Most of us don't think twice about standing up, but for people affected by postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), standing can provoke lightheadedness and a racing heartbeat. While some people with POTS will require medications, most will improve with some specific dietary and behavioral changes.

Vertigo is a symptom, not a condition. It can make people feel lightheaded, faint, unsteady, or like the room is spinning. Common conditions causing vertigo include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, vestibular migraines, vestibular neuritis, and M'nière's disease. People should see a doctor after a single vertigo episode to determine the cause. Depending on the cause, treatments might include medications, a canalith repositioning procedure, vestibular therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Staying active, not sedentary, between episodes can help people with vertigo feel better.

Many strategies can help people avoid falls in public places. For example, people can wear shoes with nonslip treads in stores and office buildings, use a rollator for stability in crowded areas such as airports or shopping malls, hold handrails on public staircases (or avoid them), avoid parking too close to vehicles in parking lots, or use the handicap stall in public bathrooms. Another important strategy is regularly strengthening leg and core muscles and practicing balance exercises (such as standing on one leg).

Balancing on one leg for 10 seconds or longer is a good way to improve balancing skills.