What's the Connection Between Hearing Loss, Diabetes, and the Body's Nervous System?

When your blood sugar levels are not regulated, you may experience hearing loss.  

Diabetes and hearing loss are common health issues among American adults. There have been reports from nearly 15% of adults in the U.S. (37.5 million) who said they experienced problems with their hearing. Symptoms of hearing loss generally worsen as a person ages. Roughly 25% of people between 65 and 74 years old have this condition. About 50% of people, at least 75 years old, sustain disabling hearing loss. There is an overlap among patients with both diabetes and hearing loss.  

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), patients with diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing loss than patients who do not have diabetes. In the U.S., patients with prediabetes blood glucose levels are more likely to have a 30% higher rate of hearing loss than patients with average blood glucose levels.  

Diabetes and Hearing Loss can lead to Sensory Damage.

Your nervous system can become damaged from unmanaged diabetes. That can impact your whole body.

A common symptom is the inability to hear high and low frequencies. Other risk factors may include heart disease, low HDL cholesterol, peripheral neuropathy, and overall poor health. 

If you have diabetes and chronic diseases, you should get a hearing test. Some medications related to diabetes affect a patient’s overall health, which can negatively impact their hearing.  

There are some things you can do to curb this problem. 

1. Receive an annual hearing test as part of your diabetes care.
2. Monitor and control your glucose levels. Diabetes can harm the capillary system, making the blood supply harder to flow throughout the body. Even in a healthy person, the inner ear receives the least blood supply, so high glucose levels can wear down small blood vessels. 
3. Protect your ears with earplugs or earmuffs if you are in a loud space.
4. Review your medications, some of which may be ototoxic - A.K.A. causes hearing loss. 

How can Diabetes lead to Falls?

Falls are another thing to worry about if you have diabetes and hearing loss. The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, is the sensory system that gives the fundamental sense of balance and spatial orientation on a person’s movement with balance -. The vestibular system can become damaged due to diabetes. The top complaint from patients over 70 years old, with diabetes and hearing loss, is vertigo.  

Hearing problems that remain untreated can harm relationships, whether they are personal or professional. These are some reasons why taking care of both diabetes and your hearing should be a priority. Better hearing can lead to better overall health by giving you more energy to live your life.   

Contact Northumberland Hearing Center for a hearing exam and consultation with our hearing care professionals. 

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