While diabetes has been known to impact our eyes, heart, and kidneys, it also affects our hearing health. Those with diabetes have a far greater chance of developing hearing loss than those who don’t. Understanding how the two are connected can help people take better care of themselves and protect their hearing health.
What Is Diabetes?
A chronic health condition, diabetes alters how the body turns food into energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into sugar, or glucose, when it enters the bloodstream. Insulin then transfers glucose to our cells for energy.
However, when someone has diabetes, either the body doesn’t make enough insulin or the body cannot properly use insulin. When either of these things occurs, the sugar stays in the blood, which can damage organs and other body systems.
How Hearing Works
To fully appreciate how diabetes can harm our hearing, it’s important to realize how our hearing works. Our ears have three main parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Our inner ears have tiny hair cells that take sound waves and transmit them to the brain, where the sound is processed, allowing us to understand the sounds. The inner ear needs a healthy blood supply in order to work properly.
Diabetes and Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is twice as likely to occur in people with diabetes as in those who don’t have it. There are several reasons for this:
- Blood vessel damage: When blood sugar levels are high, it can damage the small blood vessels found throughout the body. This is how the inner ear receives oxygen and nutrients. When this doesn’t happen, hearing problems can occur.
- Nerve damage: Most people know that diabetes damages the nerves in the hands and feet, but it can also harm the auditory nerve, which makes it harder for sound signals to be processed.
- Inflammation: Diabetes causes chronic inflammation throughout the body, including the inner ear. This can make hearing difficult.
- Oxidative stress: This can be caused by high blood sugar, resulting in harmful free radical molecules building up on the delicate hair cells found in the inner ear.
Signs of Hearing Loss
While hearing loss can develop gradually, there are common signs to watch for:
- Frequently asking others to repeat themselves
- Turning up the volume on devices
- Having trouble following conversations in noisy environments
If you have noticed any of these things, you should seek the help of a hearing health professional.
Protecting Your Hearing
Hearing loss related to diabetes can’t always be cured; there are several things to do to protect your ears:
- Control blood sugar levels: Ensuring your blood sugar remains in a healthy range can help minimize the potential damage to the inner ear.
- Have regular hearing tests: If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is important to have regular hearing checks to recognize any changes as early as possible.
- Stay physically active: Exercise helps to promote healthy blood flow, which can help keep your ears healthy.
- Eat a balanced diet: Eating a healthy, balanced diet ensures that your blood sugar will be controlled.
The Importance of Awareness
Many people with diabetes do not realize they are at greater risk for hearing loss. By increasing awareness, health professionals can encourage more people to take preventive steps and seek help early. Hearing is an essential part of communication, relationships, and quality of life. Taking care of hearing health should be a necessary part of managing diabetes.
Conclusion
The relationship between diabetes and hearing loss highlights how interconnected the body truly is. High blood sugar levels can affect far more than just the organs we usually think about. By maintaining reasonable diabetes control, getting regular hearing checkups, and making healthy lifestyle choices, people can protect both their hearing and their overall well-being.