Did you know that diabetes can also affect your ears? It’s such a complicated condition that can bring severe symptoms, especially if a person is not getting any treatment and practicing safety measures. If you have diabetes or are someone caring for a diabetic patient, this article is for you.
In this article, we will discuss how diabetes can negatively affect the ears that may lead to hearing problems, and the things you can do to maintain your hearing.
Let’s get to it!
What Is Diabetes?
First, let’s define what diabetes is. Diabetes is a chronic, long-lasting health condition wherein the blood sugar levels in your body become elevated. As a result, your body’s ability to mobilize carbohydrates, protein, and fats changes. Instead of providing fuel to your body, these nutrients just remain in your bloodstream, resulting in damage to the vascular and nerve system in your body.
How Does Diabetes Affect Your Ears?
Many people don’t know about this, but diabetes can also impact your ears’ condition. How? By damaging small blood vessels in the ears and your vestibular system. Diabetes has the ability to do just that. It can damage your nerves, causing auditory nerve damage. Once your diabetes has progressed and is already affecting your auditory nerve, there’s a higher chance that you may lose your hearing.
Diabetes can also affect your ears through the medications you’re taking. Most people with diabetes often take ototoxic medications, which affect hearing and vestibular function.
How Will You Know If Diabetes Is Causing Your Hearing Problems?
Diabetes has different kinds of symptoms, and hearing problems are one of them. You can know if diabetes is the culprit behind your hearing problems once you notice some of these signs:
- You’re struggling to follow conversations in a group or a crowded setting.
- You’re thinking other people mumble.
- You often increase the volume on your TV or radio.
- You’re having difficulty hearing people over the phone.
- There’s always a ringing in your ears.
However, you must note that these signs are not often because of diabetes. If you notice some of these signs, you should check with your doctor if it has something to do with your diabetes.
What Can You Do to Maintain Your Hearing?
As you know, you are required to monitor your blood sugar levels, eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and visit your primary care physician regularly if you have diabetes. One thing that most people don’t realize is that you should also have your hearing regularly checked.
In that way, you can maintain a healthy hearing because your audiologist can find and treat ear problems early to protect your hearing. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that people with diabetes should schedule an appointment with an audiologist as soon as they are diagnosed. If hearing problems are caught early, you can prevent hearing loss.
Conclusion
You should not overlook your ears, especially if you’re dealing with diabetes. It may not seem that diabetes can affect your ears, but actually, it can. As mentioned, diabetes is a complicated disease. It may cause you hearing loss, so you should have your ears regularly checked. Make sure to have an annual hearing test to find and treat ear problems early.
If you’re looking for a hearing clinic in Massachusetts, specifically for patients in Lexington and Greater Boston, as well as New Hampshire and Rhode Island, you’ve come to the right place! Hear More Associates is your most trusted hearing care specialist offering a free hearing test to our patients. Book an appointment with us today!
