It is right around the corner… May is coming in quick!! What is the big deal about May? WELL…. “ MAY IS BETTER HEARING MONTH” It is almost spring… the winter hub-bub is winding down and it time to take a breath and think about one of your most important senses. Your Hearing.
How well do you hear? How well do you understand? Do you participate in social activities and enjoy them because you hear well? Perhaps you find yourself “not wanting to go to the party tonight.” Are you declining those noisy restaurant dinners with friends? Perhaps it is time for a hearing evaluation and consultation.
Your hearing mechanism provides more than just hearing. It also provides auditory stimulus to the brain to keep your memory sharp. People who correct their hearing loss appropriately may slow down cognitive decline by 76%. That is a pretty big number.
Your hearing mechanism is directly related to your balance. On each side of your head in your inner ear are the Semi-circular canals. These are 3 tiny, fluid-filled tubes in the inner ear that are crucial for maintaining balance and sensing hearing movements. When you move; the fluid within the canals stimulate the tiny hair cells, which send signals to the brain to help your body stay balanced. Men with hearing loss are 11 times more likely to fall than someone with normal hearing. Women with hearing loss are 6 times more likely to fall that someone with normal hearing.
A few other conditions point to hearing loss. Diabetes. People who have diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing loss. (Centers for Disease Control, 2024). “Diabetes affects hearing in two ways: high blood sugar damages the small blood vessels in the inner ear, and low blood sugar damages how sound travels from the inner ear to the brain.” High Blood Pressure. High blood pressure can damage the blood vessels that supply the circulation to the inner ear. Arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can damage the auditory system, leading to inner ear hearing loss and tinnitus. Researchers believe damage arises from the arthritis or the medication that is prescribed to treat it. Certain arthritis medication have this side effect… ototoxicity.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) also lists: heart disease, sleep apnea, kidney disease, high cholesterol, autoimmune diseases like arthritis, and ototoxic medication as risk factors for developing hearing loss. Sometimes, due to underlying conditions hearing loss my appear due to shared causes like chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
All of this doesn’t mean that you will definitely develop a hearing loss. It is however; important to take care of your health and monitor and try to eliminate as many of these conditions as possible. Monitor your hearing. Your hearing evaluation and consultation point to many other heath related conditions.
Schedule regular hearing tests to spot issues before they affect your life. Be proactive. We can help! As Highlands Counties oldest established Hearing Center (58 years and counting) we do it right! WE CARE! Plain and simple. We strive to provide you with the very best. The best and most comprehensive hearing test. The best and most enjoyable evaluation, The Best Office Staff. The Best Hearing Instruments in the industry. Most importantly…THE BEST HEARING! Call today for your appointment…385-3497. Don’t you want to hear the best? To Hear Better Is To Live Better! It is right around the corner… May is coming in quick!! What is the big deal about May? WELL…. “ MAY IS BETTER HEARING MONTH” It is almost spring… the winter hub-bub is winding down and it time to take a breath and think about one of your most important senses. Your Hearing.
How well do you hear? How well do you understand? Do you participate in social activities and enjoy them because you hear well? Perhaps you find yourself “not wanting to go to the party tonight.” Are you declining those noisy restaurant dinners with friends? Perhaps it is time for a hearing evaluation and consultation.
Your hearing mechanism provides more than just hearing. It also provides auditory stimulus to the brain to keep your memory sharp. People who correct their hearing loss appropriately may slow down cognitive decline by 76%. That is a pretty big number.
Your hearing mechanism is directly related to your balance. On each side of your head in your inner ear are the Semi-circular canals. These are 3 tiny, fluid-filled tubes in the inner ear that are crucial for maintaining balance and sensing hearing movements. When you move; the fluid within the canals stimulate the tiny hair cells, which send signals to the brain to help your body stay balanced. Men with hearing loss are 11 times more likely to fall than someone with normal hearing. Women with hearing loss are 6 times more likely to fall that someone with normal hearing.
A few other conditions point to hearing loss. Diabetes. People who have diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing loss. (Centers for Disease Control, 2024). “Diabetes affects hearing in two ways: high blood sugar damages the small blood vessels in the inner ear, and low blood sugar damages how sound travels from the inner ear to the brain.” High Blood Pressure. High blood pressure can damage the blood vessels that supply the circulation to the inner ear. Arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can damage the auditory system, leading to inner ear hearing loss and tinnitus. Researchers believe damage arises from the arthritis or the medication that is prescribed to treat it. Certain arthritis medication have this side effect… ototoxicity.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) also lists: heart disease, sleep apnea, kidney disease, high cholesterol, autoimmune diseases like arthritis, and ototoxic medication as risk factors for developing hearing loss. Sometimes, due to underlying conditions hearing loss my appear due to shared causes like chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
All of this doesn’t mean that you will definitely develop a hearing loss. It is however; important to take care of your health and monitor and try to eliminate as many of these conditions as possible. Monitor your hearing. Your hearing evaluation and consultation point to many other heath related conditions.
Schedule regular hearing tests to spot issues before they affect your life. Be proactive. We can help! As Highlands Counties oldest established Hearing Center (58 years and counting) we do it right! WE CARE! Plain and simple. We strive to provide you with the very best. The best and most comprehensive hearing test. The best and most enjoyable evaluation, The Best Office Staff. The Best Hearing Instruments in the industry. Most importantly…THE BEST HEARING! Call today for your appointment…385-3497. Don’t you want to hear the best? To Hear Better Is To Live Better!
By Roseann B. Kiefer, B.A., BC-HIS