Hearing loss is an important topic that needs more attention. It's not just aging or prolonged exposure to loud noises that can degrade your hearing.
Hearing loss can happen for many reasons, and sometimes it comes from things that have nothing to do with your ears. Here are 6 of those reasons:
1. Infections
Viral and bacterial infections can damage your hearing. Something as simple as a cold or an ear infection can dull your hearing, disrupt your balance, or result in a ringing sound you can feel inside your ears. The good news is that this hearing loss is often only temporary. The sooner you seek treatment, the less likely it is that the hearing loss will be permanent.
2. Head trauma
When we say head trauma, we mean anything that damages the structures of the ear or brain. This could be a blow to the head, a foreign object in your ear, or an accident that damages your eardrum or ear canal. When something ruptures your eardrum (the membrane in your ear that keeps bacteria out), the auditory signals that normally travel through vibrations from your ear to your brain are disrupted. In the case of eardrum damage, hearing loss is temporary.
3. Dental problems
You may not see a connection between dental problems and hearing problems. However, the two are more closely linked than you might think. Bacterial infections in the mouth - from tooth infections or decayed wisdom teeth - can damage your hearing because they cause irritation by narrowing blood vessels. Narrowed blood vessels restrict blood flow to the essential hair cells of the ear and to key areas of the brain.
4. Diabetes
If you have diabetes, you're twice as likely to develop hearing loss. That's because the disease can damage the nerve cells in your ears. High blood sugar levels damage the cells and nerves in your inner ear. Conversely, low blood sugar levels can be just as damaging over time, preventing signals from getting through from your ears to your brain. Basically, if your blood flow isn't giving your nerves what they need to send signals to your brain, that's why hearing loss occurs.
5. High blood pressure
Blood circulation is essential for healthy hearing. The structures of the ear are delicate and sensitive to changes in blood flow. When blood pressure is high, the heart and blood vessels are overworked. Your heart is pumping more blood than usual, which means the structures of the ear are overloaded with blood, resulting in temporary hearing loss that goes away when the blood pressure drops again.
6. Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person's breathing repeatedly stops and starts in unusual patterns. Recent research has linked sleep apnea to an increased risk of hearing loss. While there is no definitive cause yet from the medical community, it is likely related to decreased blood flow to the inner ears. Without blood flow, cells and vessels die, meaning messages won't get from the ear to the brain.
Source: CNET
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