It’s true, hearing loss can sneak up on you. But there are times when hearing issues suddenly pounce you like a cat instead of sneaking up on you. Here’s a hypothetical: You get up one morning and jump in the shower and when you get out you detect your hearing seems off or different. Maybe muffled.
You just assume that you got some water in your ears, but as the day progresses, and there’s no difference, you start to get a bit worried.
At times like this, when you experience a sudden profound change to your hearing, you should get medical attention. The reason why you should get help is that sudden hearing loss is usually a symptom of an underlying medical issue. At times, that larger issue can be an obstruction in your ear. Maybe some earwax.
And sometimes that sudden hearing loss can be linked to diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
If you don’t immediately identify the link between hearing loss and diabetes that would be understandable. Your pancreas seems like it’s a long way from your ears.
With type 2 diabetes, sugars in your body aren’t properly broken down and turned into energy. When your body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t process the insulin it is making, this is the outcome. That’s why treatments for diabetes normally involve injections or infusions of insulin.
What is The Link Between Diabetes And Hearing?
Diabetes is a common, sometimes degenerative (and complex), affliction. With the assistance of your physician, it needs to be managed cautiously. But what does that have to do with your ears?
Believe it or not, a pretty common sign of type 2 diabetes is sudden hearing loss. The link lies in the ability of diabetes to cause collateral damage, frequently to nerves and blood vessels around the extremities. These exact changes have a strong affect on the little hairs in your ears responsible for your hearing (called stereocilia). So even before other more widely recognized diabetes symptoms manifest (such as numb toes), you could experience sudden hearing loss.
What Should I do?
If you’re in this scenario, and your hearing has suddenly begun giving you trouble, you’ll definitely want to get checked by a medical professional. Diabetes, for example, will often be completely symptomless at first, so you may not even realize you have it until you begin to notice some of these red flags.
As is the case with most forms of hearing loss, the sooner you get treatment, the more options you’ll have. But it’s not only diabetes you need to watch for. Here are some other possible triggers of sudden hearing loss:
- Blood pressure problems.
- Earwax buildup or other obstructions.
- Tissue growth in the ear.
- Autoimmune conditions.
- Some types of infections.
- Blood circulation issues (these are often caused by other issues, like diabetes).
It can be hard to know what’s causing your sudden hearing loss or what to do about it without a medical diagnosis.
Treatment Options For Sudden Hearing Loss
Regardless of which of these your sudden hearing loss is triggered by, if you catch it early enough, your hearing will usually return to normal with proper treatment. Once the obstruction is removed or, with diabetes, once blood circulation problems have been managed, your hearing will likely return to normal if you dealt with it quickly.
But that truly does rely on prompt and effective treatment. There are some disorders that can cause irreversible harm if they go neglected (diabetes is, again, one of those conditions). So if you’re dealing with any type or degree of hearing loss, have it treated now.
Pay Attention to Your Hearing
If you get routine hearing screenings, sudden hearing loss may be easier to detect and you may stop it from sneaking up on you by detecting it sooner. Specific hearing problems can be identified in these screenings before you notice them.
Diabetes and hearing loss have one other thing in common: it’s best to get them treated as soon as possible. Neglected hearing loss can result in other health concerns like loss of cognitive function. Make an appointment with us for a hearing exam right away.
