Remember the old tale of Johnny Appleseed? When you were younger you likely heard the story of how Johnny Appleseed traveled around bringing fresh apples to communities (you should eat apples because they are a healthy choice and that’s the moral of the story).
That’s only partially accurate. At the end of the 19th century, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman was his real name) did in fact present apples to numerous parts of the United States. But apples weren’t as delicious and sweet as modern apples. In fact, they were mostly only utilized for one thing: making hard cider.
That’s right. Johnny Appleseed was delivering booze to every neighborhood he visited.
Alcohol and humans can have a complicated relationship. On the one hand, it’s bad for your health (you will frequently note some of these health symptoms right away when you feel hungover). But many individuals like to get a buzz.
This behavior goes back into the early mists of time. Humanity has been drinking since, well, the beginning of recorded history. But if you’re dealing with hearing issues, including tinnitus, it’s possible that your alcohol consumption could be creating or exacerbating your symptoms.
Put simply, it’s not just the loud music at the bar that can cause hearing troubles. It’s also the drinks.
Tinnitus can be caused by alcohol
The majority of hearing specialists will tell you that drinking can trigger tinnitus. That isn’t really that difficult to believe. You’ve most likely experienced “the spins” if you’ve ever had too much to drink. That’s where you get really, really dizzy and the room feels like it’s, well, spinning (especially with your eyes closed).
When alcohol interferes with your inner ear, which is the part of your body responsible for balance, you may experience the”spins”.
And what other role does your inner ear play a part in? Hearing, of course! So if alcohol can produce the spins, it’s not difficult to believe that it can also produce ringing or buzzing in your ears.
Ototoxic substances, including alcohol, will cause tinnitus
The word ototoxic may sound intimidating, but it simply indicates something that can be damaging to your hearing. The whole auditory system from your ears to your brain is included in this.
Here are a few ways this can play out:
- Alcohol can decrease flow of blood to your inner ear. The deficiency of blood flow can itself be a source of damage.
- Alcohol can degrade the stereocilia in your ears (these are little hairs that let you sense vibrations in the air, vibrations that your brain later translates into sound). These little hairs will never recover or grow back once they have been compromised.
- Alcohol can affect the neurotransmitters in your brain that are responsible for hearing. This means that, while the alcohol is in your system, your brain isn’t working correctly (obviously, decision-making centers are impacted; but so, too, are the parts of your brain responsible for hearing).
Drinking-related hearing loss & tinnitus aren’t always long-term
So if you’re out for a night on the town or getting some drinks with some friends, you may notice yourself developing some symptoms.
These symptoms, thankfully, are usually not lasting when caused by alcohol. As your body chemistry returns to normal, you’ll most likely start to recover some of your hearing and your tinnitus will decline.
Naturally, the longer alcohol is in your system, the longer it will take your ears to go back to normal. And if this kind of damage is repeated regularly, it may become permanent. In other words, it’s completely possible (if not likely) that you can generate both permanent tinnitus and hearing loss by drinking too much and too frequently.
A couple of other things are happening too
It’s not just the alcohol, of course. There are a couple of other factors that make the bar scene somewhat more inhospitable for your ears.
- Alcohol leads to other issues: Drinking is also detrimental to other facets of your health. Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure can be the outcome of alcohol abuse. And all of these problems can ultimately be life threatening, as well as contribute to more significant tinnitus symptoms.
- Noise: Bars are usually rather noisy. That’s part of their… uh… appeal? But when you’re 40 or older it can be a bit too much. There’s much fun and merriment, people yelling, and loud music. Your hearing can be damaged over time by this.
In other words, the mix of the environment and the alcohol make those late night bar visits a powerful (and hazardous) mix for your hearing.
Does that mean it’s time to quit drinking?
Obviously, we’re not implying that drinking alone in a quiet room is the answer here. The underlying problem is the alcohol itself. So you may be doing substantial damage to your health and hearing if you’re having difficulty moderating your drinking. Your doctor can help you move towards living a healthier life with the right treatment.
If you’ve noticed a loud ringing in your ears after heavy drinking, schedule an appointment with us for a consultation.
