If you have diabetes, complications from the disease can impact your hearing and balance. Due to this, the CDC recommends getting your hearing checked every year if you have diabetes. If you’re curious how diabetes could impact your hearing health, read on.
How Diabetes Impacts Hearing and Balance
The inner ear is sensitive to blood flow and requires healthy blood flow to function optimally. Conditions, such as diabetes, that impact how blood flows to the delicate vessels in the ear can also impact hearing.
A 2012 study found a higher prevalence of hearing impairment in diabetic patients compared with nondiabetic patients was consistent across the study. The study found high blood glucose levels from untreated diabetes can weaken the ear’s blood vessels as well as the nerve cells in the inner ear. Not only can it impact your ability to hear the barista repeat your order at Summer Moon Coffee , but it can impact other aspects of your health as well.
Other impacts:
- Dizziness and risk of falls: diabetes can also damage blood vessels in the vestibular system, the part of the inner ear that controls balance, resulting in dizziness.
- Ear infections/itchiness: Diabetes can make earwax less acidic and, therefore, more prone to outer ear infections, resulting in itchiness.
- Tinnitus can also occur in those with diabetes, potentially because those with tinnitus are also experiencing hearing loss. Those with diabetes are also likely to experience tinnitus, even without hearing loss.
You may be wondering how you can protect or impact your health and hearing if you have diabetes. Good diabetes management is key.
Diabetes Management
The CDC recommends the “ABCs” for diabetes care:
- Average blood sugar over three months kept to a healthy level (A1C)
- Monitoring blood pressure to stay at a healthy level
- Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels
Smoking is also detrimental to your overall wellbeing, diabetes management and can impact hearing loss. If you have questions about how to properly manage your diabetes, your doctor can assist you. If you’re having trouble hearing your friends at Summer Moon Coffee, you may be experiencing hearing loss and should schedule a hearing test.
If you have questions about how your diabetes impacts your hearing or to schedule a hearing test, contact Hearing Care by Hough.