5 Surprising Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can be caused by a number of things. One of the most common, and the one that people hear about the most is aging. It’s true that aging is one of the main causes for hearing loss, but there are others, some of which would absolutely blow your mind. This is what we’re going to be taking a look at in this article, so keep reading down below to get your socks blown off by five surprising causes of hearing loss.

Excessive Alcohol Consumption

One of the surprising things that can cause hearing loss is excessive alcohol consumption. If you are someone who regularly consumes large amounts of alcohol, then this will impact all areas of your health at one point or another. It’s for this reason that you have got to be extremely careful with how much you drink. Excessive alcohol consumption has been known to impact the central auditory complex, which is responsible for the proper processing of sounds. 

Even if you are only consuming alcohol to excess on a semi-regular basis, you still risk damaging your ears. We recommend that you watch your alcohol intake, and just ensure that you are not drinking too much, too often.

Chronic Stress

While most people believe that stress is just a mental issue, this is not the case at all. If you get extremely stressed, you can start experiencing physical symptoms. These can be things such as breakouts of spots all over your body and bags under your eyes from where the stress is keeping you awake. It can even damage the delicate tissues inside your ears because oxygen is being carried through the blood to other parts of your body. Sometimes the hearing loss is temporary, but if the stress is extreme and chronic, it can be permanent. 

Concerts

It is common knowledge to know that loud noises can harm your hearing. However, did you know that attending concerts regularly can also harm your ears. Hearing loss from constant, regular noises is caused by damage to tiny hair like cells deep in your inner ear. If these hairs become damaged then this can lead to hearing loss. The level of your hearing loss all depends on how badly those cells are damaged. 

To prevent hearing loss and look after your ears you should take precautions at concerts in the form of earplugs. Using earplugs lessens the base and loudness of the music you hear at the concerts. 

Sleep Apnea

There have been several studies that have shown the link between sleep apnea and hearing loss. There is no concrete reason as to why this happens, but it is believed to have something to do with the reduced oxygen intake of people who experience this illness. It is also thought that it could have something to do with the loud snoring for a prolonged period, which is common with sleep apnea. 

Any slight disruption to the blood flow when it comes to the delicate inner ear is going to be dangerous. It can cause irreversible damage, leading to hearing loss. As soon as the inner ear is damaged, it is unable to be repaired. It’s for this reason, as well as many others, that if you think you have sleep apnea, you should be seen by an audiologist.

Hereditary 

You might be surprised to hear that hearing loss can be hereditary. Genetic makeup can mean the difference between hearing well and experiencing some hearing loss either as a child or as an adult. If you have two parents who also experience hearing loss then you are 50% more likely to experience it also. However, it is also common for two hearing parents to have a child with hearing loss. There are still a lot of studies going on to find how hearing loss is hereditary. 

Hearing loss can be treated through the use of hearing aids. Which ones you use will be down to you and your audiologist. They will go through all the options with you and help you decide which ones. There are several different types that could fit in with you and your lifestyle. 

If you need any assistance when it comes to your hearing health, then get in touch with Gavin Audiology and Hearing Aids at (914) 610-3440 to find out more. There is always someone available and ready to give you the help that you need! We look forward to hearing from you sooner rather than later!