How Quitting Smoking & Lowering Blood Pressure Could Support Healthy Hearing

All parts of your health are interconnected and your hearing health is no exception. If you smoke tobacco, or have high blood pressure then this affects not only your overall health, but your chances of damaging your hearing as well. While most people know that exposure to noise and advanced age can play a huge role in your hearing health, now researchers are finding that health issues such as high blood pressure and smoking can also affect your hearing.

Smoking and Hearing Loss

Today we know that smoking can cause cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In addition smoking also increases the risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and issues with the immune system. Now researchers are finding a direct connection between smoking and hearing ability. Reuters Health reports that smokers may be more likely to develop hearing loss than nonsmokers. 

The study examined data of approximately 50,000 Japanese workers, between the ages of 20 to 64 without hearing loss and then followed up eight years later. They discovered that more than 5,100 people developed hearing loss and found that compared to nonsmokers, people who currently smoked were 60 percent more likely to develop high-frequency hearing loss. 

However it’s important to remember that your smoking habit affects the people around you too. The study found that people who live with a smoker and are exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to suffer from hearing loss. 

How Smoking Affects Your Ears

So what exactly is the connection between smoking and hearing? A regular habit of smoking lowers the levels of oxygen in the blood, constricting blood vessels throughout your entire body, including your ears. 

Your inner ears hold fragile cells and nerves, responsible for transmitting audio information to the brain to be processed. These cells and nerves rely on a healthy supply of oxygen in the blood to maintain hearing health. When these cells don’t receive the important oxygen then these cells can be permanently damaged or destroyed, making it difficult to hear in your daily life. 

In addition, smoking can also irritate the lining of the Eustachian tube which connects your inner ears to the back of your throat and nose, increasing the likelihood of infections that can damage the ears.

How High Blood Pressure Affects Your Ears

However smoking isn’t the sole risk factor that can affect your hearing. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension; can quietly damage your body over years before symptoms show themselves. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to disability, a poor quality of life, or even a fatal heart attack or stroke.  

Hypertension can be caused by a lack of physical activity, obesity, a diet high in sodium, excessive alcohol consumption, stress, sleep apnea and remarkably smoking. 

The nicotine present in cigarettes and other tobacco products are not only addictive but cause your blood vessels become constricted, forcing your heartbeat faster. This in turns causes your blood pressure to become dangerously high and high blood pressure can affect your ears due to strain on your heart which has to work harder to pump blood to all necessary organs of the body. 

A Healthy Hearing Lifestyle

One of the most important investments in the future of your health that you can do if you are a smoker, is to quit now. The longer you go on smoking the worse the damage to your overall health including blood pressure and hearing can become. 

Even after only 20 minutes after your last cigarette, your blood pressure will decrease and circulation improves, allowing your cells to receive more essential oxygen. Just imagine the positive impacts of quitting smoking as days, weeks and years progress, allowing your body to receive the oxygen it needs. If you are not a smoker but struggle with high blood pressure, then it is recommended to maintain a healthy lifestyle, staying active and eating a healthy diet. 

Treating Hearing Loss

You can’t reverse damage to your inner ears but you can work to lower your blood pressure and quit smoking now to stop further damage. If you do have hearing loss, it’s important to treat it before it causes emotional, mental and physical issues to progress. Make an appointment today to treat your hearing loss and invest in the future of your health now!