Remember the old story of Johnny Appleseed? In elementary school, you may have been taught that he migrated across the US, bringing the gift of nourishing apples to every community he visited (the moral of the story is that apples are healthy, and you should eat them).
That’s only somewhat accurate. At the end of the 19th century, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman was his real name) did in fact present apples to many parts of the United States. But apples weren’t as delicious and sweet as modern apples. Producing hard cider, in fact, was the chief use of apples.
That’s right. Johnny Appleseed was providing booze to every community he visited.
Alcohol and humans can have a complex relationship. It isn’t good for your health to begin with (you will often note some of these health problems right away when you feel hungover). But many individuals enjoy getting buzzed.
This behavior goes back into the early mists of time. Since humans have been recording history, people have been enjoying alcohol. But if you have hearing issues, including tinnitus, it’s possible that your alcohol intake could be producing or exacerbating your symptoms.
Put simply, it’s not only the loud music at the bar that’s bad for your hearing. It’s the beer, too.
Tinnitus can be triggered by alcohol
The fact that alcohol causes tinnitus is something that hearing specialists will usually confirm. That’s not really that hard to accept. You’ve likely experienced “the spins” if you’ve ever had too much to drink. That’s when you get really, really dizzy and the room feels like it’s, well, spinning (especially when you close your eyes).
The spins will happen because the alcohol is interfering with the part of your body responsible for balance: your inner ear.
And what else is your inner ear good for? Naturally, your hearing. So if alcohol can bring about the spins, it isn’t difficult to believe that it can also produce ringing or buzzing in your ears.
Ototoxic compounds, including alcohol, will cause tinnitus
The word ototoxic may sound daunting, but it just indicates something that can be damaging to your hearing. The whole auditory system from your ears to your brain is involved in this.
Here are a few ways this can play out:
- Alcohol can decrease blood flow to your inner ear. This by itself can become a source of damage (most parts of your body don’t really like being starved of blood).
- Alcohol can affect the neurotransmitters in your brain that are responsible for hearing. So your brain isn’t functioning properly when alcohol is in your system (clearly, decision-making centers are impacted; but so, too, are the portions of your brain in charge of hearing).
- The stereocilia in your ears can be harmed by alcohol (these delicate hairs in your ears conduct vibrational information to your brain for further processing). These delicate hairs will never heal or grow back once they have been damaged.
Drinking-related hearing loss & tinnitus aren’t always long-term
You may start to detect some symptoms when you’re out on the town having some drinks with friends.
The good news is that these symptoms (when they are caused by alcohol intake) are normally temporary. Your tinnitus will usually go away along with most of your hearing loss when your body chemistry returns to normal.
Of course, the longer alcohol is in your system, the longer it will take your ears to return to normal. And it could become permanent if this kind of damage keeps happening continually. So if you drink too much too often, permanent damage could possibly take place.
Here are a couple of other things that are taking place
Of course, it’s more than just the booze. The bar scene isn’t favorable for your ears for other reasons as well.
- Noise: The first is that bars are usually, well, loud. That’s part of their… uh… charm? 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 compromised over time by this.
- Alcohol leads to other problems: Even if you put the hearing loss element aside, drinking is pretty bad for your health. Alcohol abuse can lead to health issues like high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. And all of these problems can inevitably be life threatening, as well as contribute to more significant tinnitus symptoms.
The point is, there are serious hazards to your health and your hearing in these late night bar visits.
Does that mean it’s time to quit drinking?
Naturally, sitting in a quiet room and drinking alone is not at all what we’re advocating. It’s the alcohol, not the socializing, that’s the source of the problem. So you may be doing considerable damage to your health and hearing if you’re having a hard time moderating your drinking. Your doctor can help you move towards living a healthier life with the right treatment.
For now, if you’re a heavy drinker and you’ve noticed a ringing in your ears, it might be time to schedule an appointment with us to check for tinnitus.
