The brainstem controls many of the body’s automatic survival functions, such as heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and sleep cycles. It connects the brain to the spinal cord and acts as a communication hub between different brain regions and the body. While it plays a role in coordinating signals involved in posture and reflexes, it is not the main center for balance regulation — that role belongs to the cerebellum. The brainstem is vital for keeping you alive, but it doesn’t fine-tune movements or maintain equilibrium in the same way. So while it’s essential to overall function, balance control is primarily the cerebellum’s job.