Let’s face it, there’s no escape from aging, and with it usually comes hearing loss. You can take some steps to look younger but you’re still getting older. But you may not know that numerous treatable health conditions have also been associated with hearing loss. Here’s a look at some examples, #2 may come as a surprise.
1. Diabetes can impact your hearing
The fact that hearing loss and diabetes have a link is fairly well established. But why would diabetes give you an increased risk of developing hearing loss? Well, science doesn’t have all the solutions here. Diabetes is connected to a wide range of health issues, and specifically, can cause physical damage to the eyes, kidneys, and extremities. One theory is that the condition may affect the ears in a similar way, damaging blood vessels in the inner ear. But it could also be related to general health management. A 2015 study that looked at U.S. military veterans highlighted the connection between hearing loss and diabetes, but in particular, it found that those with uncontrolled diabetes, in other words, people who aren’t controlling their blood sugar or alternatively treating the disease, suffered worse outcomes. It’s significant to get your blood sugar checked if you believe you may have undiagnosed diabetes or are prediabetic. By the same token, if you have difficulty hearing, it’s a good plan to contact us.
2. Increased danger of falling associated with hearing loss
Why would having difficulty hearing cause a fall? Our sense of balance is, to some extent, regulated by our ears. But there are other reasons why falls are more likely if you have loss of hearing. A study was conducted on individuals with hearing loss who have recently fallen. Although this study didn’t explore the cause of the subjects’ falls, the authors speculated that having difficulty hearing what’s around you (and missing crucial sounds such as a car honking) could be one problem. But it could also go the other way, if difficulty hearing means you’re paying more attention to sounds than to your environment, it could be easy to trip and fall. Luckily, your danger of having a fall is reduced by getting your hearing loss treated.
3. Protect your hearing by controlling high blood pressure
Multiple studies have shown that hearing loss is linked to high blood pressure, and some have found that high blood pressure may actually hasten age-related hearing loss. Clearly, this is not the kind of reassuring news that makes your blood pressure drop. But it’s a connection that’s been discovered pretty consistently, even when controlling for variables like noise exposure and whether you’re a smoker. (Please don’t smoke.) Gender appears to be the only significant variable: If you’re a male, the connection between high blood pressure and hearing loss is even stronger.
Your ears aren’t a component of your circulatory system, but they’re darn close to it. Two of your body’s principal arteries are positioned right by your ears and it consists of many tiny blood vessels. This is one reason why people who have high blood pressure often experience tinnitus, the pulsing they’re hearing is actually their own blood pumping. That’s why this kind of tinnitus is known as pulsatile tinnitus; you hear your pulse. The leading theory why high blood pressure can cause hearing loss is that it can actually do physical damage to the vessels in the ears. If your heart is pumping harder, there’s more force behind each beat. The small arteries in your ears could possibly be damaged as a result. High blood pressure is manageable through both lifestyle changes and medical treatments. But if you suspect you’re dealing with hearing loss, even if you feel like you’re too young for the age-related stuff, it’s a good move to talk to us.
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 completely certain what the connection is. A common idea is that having problems hearing can cause people to avoid social situations and that social withdrawal, and lack of cognitive stimulation, can be debilitating. Another theory is that hearing loss overloads your brain. When your brain is working overtime to process sound, there might not be very much brainpower left for things like memory. Playing “brain games” and keeping your social life active can be very 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 battling to hear what people are saying, you can focus on the essential stuff.
Schedule an appointment with us as soon as possible if you suspect you might be experiencing hearing loss.
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/