9 Surprising Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is typically caused by a variety of factors, many of which are well-known. Pre-existing genetic disorders, long-term exposure to severe loudness and old age all contribute to hearing loss. You may be surprised to learn that temporary and permanent hearing loss can be caused by a wide variety of factors besides those listed above; here are nine of the most surprising. 

Stress

This might be the least shocking thing on the list. After all, it’s already pretty clear that stress can cause health problems like tinnitus. Extreme stress can take things to a whole new level and lead to a disease called hypertension.

In turn, high blood pressure can lead to ear hemorrhages, which can cause either short-term or long-term damage. Getting rid of stress is the best way to stop this from happening. Exercise, eat healthy foods, cut back on caffeine, find things that help you relax and if you need to talk to a therapist.

Medication Side Effects

Prescription drugs almost always have some side effects. Some of these side effects can cause people to lose their hearing. This happens a lot when you take medicine for heart disease or chemotherapy, both of which can hurt your inner ear.

Over-Exercising 

We’ve all overdone it at the gym once or twice. Perhaps we got a little too excited or misjudged our talents. Maybe we tried too hard and ended up being out of action for a week or longer.

No matter what, doing too much exercise always puts you at risk of getting hurt. It also seems to cause temporary hearing loss, dizziness and ringing in the ears. Like most gym-related injuries, these conditions are usually short-term and will go away on their own in time.

Allergies 

If you have a very bad allergic reaction, the swelling can block your ear canal. This causes fluid to build up, which can cause an ear infection or cause the eardrum to burst. Most of the time, this can be helped with treatment, but if it goes unchecked, it can easily turn into something much worse.

An Unhealthy Diet 

If you don’t get enough nutrients, eat too much fat or sugar or don’t drink enough water, you’re at risk for many health issues. Excessive weight gain is merely the tip of the iceberg in this case. If you do not adequately care for yourself and eat a healthy, balanced diet, you are at a considerably greater risk of hearing loss. 

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation is bad for the body in the short term and in the long term. When you don’t get enough sleep, nothing works as it should and you can have problems with your mental health, your heart health, your digestive health and even your hearing.

Diabetes

According to the American Diabetes Association, hearing loss is roughly twice as likely among people with diabetes, especially if it is untreated.

Viruses 

A temporary loss of hearing can be the result of conditions such as the flu, in the same way as allergies can cause the ear canal to get blocked. Meningitis and measles are two examples of conditions, as well as mumps and whooping cough that can cause hearing loss of a considerably more severe kind.

This kind of hearing loss, which may cause serious and irreversible damage to the ears, often strikes children first because of their heightened susceptibility to the condition.

Smoker’s Ear

It is detrimental to your health to smoke. This is something that we have been aware of for a very considerable amount of time. However, it is detrimental to your health in many ways than only your cardiovascular system and the potential for causing cancer. 

The United States National Library of Medicine says that if you smoke, your ears are much more likely to be hurt by loud noise. Even if you used to smoke and quit, you still need to be careful about this. Even being around people who smoke can put you at risk.

The key to living your best life is having good hearing, and you can lose so much more when yours is damaged in any way. Take care of your hearing health in a proactive way to keep your base hearing strong; contact Kirsch Audiology at 310-586-5533 to find out more and to book your hearing test appointment. An audiologist can offer plenty of advice and help you take the next steps, no matter what those steps might be.