Let’s face it, there’s no escape from aging, and with it usually comes hearing loss. You can do some things to look younger but you’re still getting older. But you might not know that several treatable health conditions have also been associated with hearing loss. Here’s a look at some examples, #2 may surprise you.
1. Diabetes could affect your hearing
So it’s fairly well established that diabetes is linked to an increased danger of hearing loss. But why would diabetes put you at an increased risk of suffering from hearing loss? Well, science doesn’t have all the answers here. Diabetes is linked to a wide variety of health issues, and specifically, can cause physical harm to the eyes, kidneys, and extremities. One theory is that the condition may impact the ears in a similar way, damaging blood vessels in the inner ear. But general health management could also be a factor. A 2015 study discovered that people with overlooked diabetes had worse results than individuals who were treating and managing their diabetes. If you are worried that you may be prediabetic or have overlooked diabetes, it’s important to speak to a doctor and get your blood sugar screened. And, it’s a good plan to contact us if you think your hearing may be compromised.
2. Increased risk of falling associated with hearing loss
Why would your chance of falling go up if you have hearing loss? Though our ears play an important role in helping us balance, there are other reasons why hearing loss could get you down (in this instance, quite literally). People with hearing loss who have had a fall were the subjects of a recent study. Though this study didn’t investigate the cause of the subjects’ falls, the authors suspected that having difficulty hearing what’s around you (and missing crucial sounds like a car honking) could be one problem. At the same time, if you’re working hard to pay close attention to the sounds nearby, you could be distracted to your environment and that may also lead to a higher danger of having a fall. Fortunately, your danger of experiencing a fall is decreased by having your hearing loss treated.
3. Manage high blood pressure to safeguard your hearing
High blood pressure and hearing loss have been closely linked in some studies indicating that high blood pressure may speed up hearing loss related to aging. This kind of news might make you feel like your blood pressure is actually going up. Even when variables such as noise exposure or smoking are taken into account, the connection has persistently been found. (You should never smoke!) Gender seems to be the only significant variable: The connection between hearing loss and high blood pressure is even stronger if you’re a male.
Your ears aren’t part of your circulatory system, but they’re really close to it. Two of your body’s main arteries are positioned right near your ears and it consists of many tiny blood vessels. This is one reason why people with high blood pressure often suffer from tinnitus, the pulsing they’re hearing is actually their own blood pumping. That’s why this type of tinnitus is known as pulsatile tinnitus; you hear your pulse. The principal theory why high blood pressure can lead to hearing loss is that it can actually do physical harm to the vessels in the ears. Every beat of your heart will have more force if it’s pumping blood harder. The small arteries in your ears could potentially be harmed as a result. Through medical treatment and lifestyle change, blood pressure can be managed. But even if you don’t feel like you’re old enough for age-related hearing loss, if you’re having trouble hearing, you should give us a call for a hearing test.
4. Cognitive decline and hearing loss
Even though a strong link between cognitive decline and hearing loss has been well established, scientists are still not entirely sure what the link is. A common theory is that having trouble hearing can cause people to stay away from social situations and that social detachment, and lack of mental stimulation, can be incapacitating. The stress of hearing loss straining the brain is another theory. When your brain is working extra hard to process sound, there may not be much brainpower left for things like memory. Playing “brain games” and keeping your social life active can be really helpful but the number one thing you can do is treat your hearing loss. Social situations will be easier when you can hear clearly and instead of struggling to hear what people are saying, you can focus on the important stuff.
If you’re worried that you may be suffering from hearing loss, schedule an appointment with us today.
References
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2018/8541638/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1808869415310016
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3889339/