One of the senses that you don’t realize you need is your hearing – and you don’t appreciate it until you really need it and usually, this is after you notice that it’s going! Did you know that hearing loss is actually one of the most common medical issues affecting people in the US? The thing is, hearing loss isn’t always something you can just fix with hearing aids, nor is it something that everyone can fix at all.

Because there is such a variation in hearing loss, it’s tough to pinpoint what will necessarily help. Hearing loss isn’t just caused by aging, nor is it only caused by a prolonged exposure to noise. When you choose the right hearing specialist, you can get your hearing properly tested and then get the support that you need most. Hearing loss happens for many different reasons, and understanding the different types of hearing losses will help you to understand what started your hearing loss in the first place. Let’s take a look at some of the things you may not have even known could affect your hearing!

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1. Infections. Did you know that both bacterial and viral infections can affect your hearing? Something as simple as a cold gone awry can muffle and impair your hearing, affect your balance and result in things like tinnitus. The good news with this one is that a cold affecting your hearing is usually only temporary. You won’t have to worry about it long-term and the sooner you seek out new treatment, the better. Hearing loss that remains permanent comes from illnesses such as meningitis and brain inflammation.
2. Trauma. Have you bashed your head recently and noticed muffled hearing? Head trauma can damage the internal structures of the ears, and so can foreign objects in the ears. If you have had a trauma to the inner ear or the head, you could have damaged the ear canal or the eardrum of that ear. You’ll find that your auditory signals are completely interrupted when this happens and if you have noticed hearing loss as a result of a head trauma, it’s important to speak to a doctor as soon as you can.
3. Your teeth. You wouldn’t think that a problem with your teeth will connect to hearing issues. The thing is, they’re more related than you’d imagine they are. Infections in the mouth and the teeth can compromise your hearing because of the inflammation that they cause further issues. Inflammation narrows the blood vessels and this pulls the blood flow away from the cells in the inner ear. Your dentist can help you with this, ensuring that your teeth are in the best condition possible so that your hearing isn’t compromised as a result.
4. Diabetes. If you are dealing with other medical issues outside of your hearing loss, these could be a main contributor! You’re twice as likely to develop hearing loss if you have diabetes due to the deterioration in the ear’s nerve cells. This goes back to the fact that high sugar levels can cause damage and as it’s something that happens over time, it may not even be something you’d notice until it creeps up on you.
5. You have higher blood pressure. You’re not alone in this but high blood pressure can lead to hearing loss and you wouldn’t even know it most of the time. It’s a particularly rare side effect and as blood flow has to be established for healthy living, you can bet that it’ll also be the case for healthy hearing. Speak to an audiologist when you can so that you can get a handle on the cause of high blood pressure.
6. You’re on prescription medications. The one thing that you want to find out with any medication you’re supposed to take is the medication side effects. You need to know if the medications taken to improve and help your wellbeing are going to cause other issues or not. If so, you can speak to your doctor about changing the medicine. There are more than 200 different medicines out there that can cause hearing damage as a side effect. 

All of these things can affect your hearing and if you didn’t know about them before you surely do now. Your hearing is something that needs to be protected and the best way to do that is to speak to your doctor. Get a hearing test if you notice any changes and talk to them about any existing medicines that you may be taking. It’s all important if you want to keep your hearing consistent.