4 Ways Hearing Loss Can Impact Your General Health

Let’s face it, there’s no getting away from aging, and with it usually comes hearing loss. You can do some things to look younger but you’re still getting older. But did you know that hearing loss has also been connected to health issues associated with aging that are treatable, and in some cases, avoidable? Let’s have a look at some examples that might be surprising.

1. Diabetes can impact your hearing

The fact that hearing loss and diabetes have a connection is pretty well recognized. But why would diabetes put you at an increased risk of developing hearing loss? Science is at a bit of a loss here. Diabetes is connected to a wide range of health problems, and in particular, can cause physical harm to the eyes, kidneys, and extremities. Blood vessels in the inner ear may, theoretically, be getting damaged in a similar way. But overall health management may also be a consideration. A 2015 study that looked at U.S. military veterans highlighted the link between hearing loss and diabetes, but in particular, it found that those with unchecked diabetes, in other words, individuals who aren’t controlling their blood sugar or otherwise treating the disease, suffered worse consequences. It’s important to get your blood sugar checked if you believe you might have overlooked diabetes or are prediabetic. By the same token, if you have difficulty hearing, it’s a good plan to contact us.

2. Risk of hearing loss associated falls goes up

Why would having difficulty hearing make you fall? Although our ears play an important part in helping us balance, there are other reasons why hearing loss might get you down (in this instance, very literally). Research was conducted on participants with hearing loss who have recently had a fall. The study didn’t go into detail about the cause of the falls but it did conjecture that missing important sounds, like a car honking, could be a large part of the cause. At the same time, if you’re working hard to concentrate on the sounds around you, you could be distracted to your environment and that might also result in a higher risk of having a fall. The good news here is that managing hearing loss could potentially reduce your danger of suffering a fall.

3. Safeguard your hearing by treating high blood pressure

Several studies have revealed that hearing loss is associated with high blood pressure, and some have discovered that high blood pressure could actually speed up age-related hearing loss. This sort of news may make you feel like your blood pressure is actually rising. Even when variables such as noise exposure or smoking are taken into account, the link has consistently been found. (Please don’t smoke.) Gender seems to be the only important variable: If you’re a man, the link between high blood pressure and hearing loss is even stronger.

Your ears have a very close relation to your circulatory system. Along with the many tiny blood vessels inside your ear, two of the body’s primary arteries go right by it. 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. When your tinnitus symptoms are caused by your own pulse, it’s called pulsatile tinnitus. But high blood pressure could also possibly cause physical damage to your ears, that’s the primary theory behind why it would accelerate hearing loss. If your heart is pumping harder, there’s more force behind each beat. That could potentially damage the smaller blood arteries inside of your ears. High blood pressure can be managed through both lifestyle improvements and medical treatments. But if you think you’re dealing with hearing loss, even if you believe you’re not old enough for the age-related stuff, it’s a good idea to speak with us.

4. Dementia and hearing loss

It’s scary stuff, but it’s significant to note that while the connection between hearing loss and cognitive decline has been well recognized, scientists have been less successful at figuring out why the two are so powerfully connected. The most prevalent concept is that people with neglected hearing loss often withdraw from social interaction and become debilitated by lack of stimulus. The stress of hearing loss straining the brain is another theory. In other words, because your brain is putting so much energy into comprehending the sounds around you, you may not have much energy left for remembering things like where you left your keys. Preserving social ties and doing crosswords or “brain games” could help here, but so can managing hearing loss. Social engagements will be easier when you can hear clearly and instead of battling to hear what people are saying, you can focus on the important stuff.

If you’re concerned that you might be suffering from hearing loss, schedule an appointment with us today.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3889339/