How Smoking & Drinking May Affect Hearing

We all know that cigarette smoking can cause cancer, heart disease and other diseases but most of us do not know how widespread the effect of smoking is. Studies have shown that one of the consequences may be hearing loss.

What is the connection?

In the inner ear are hair cells that receive gentle movements of the fluid that exists around them and transmit the information to the auditory nerve and later – to the cerebral hearing centers. This information is ultimately translated into what the person experiences as hearing. These hair cells are extremely delicate and can be easily damaged. Known causes of damage to the hair cells are exposure to noise, old age or exposure to ototoxic substances. Studies conducted in recent years show that among smokers there is a significantly higher chance of hearing loss at high frequencies. High-frequency sounds are, for example, the chirping of birds, the sounds of children or consonants in a language such as S, C and S. In addition, hearing loss was found among these subjects to be sensory-neural. The source of this type of hearing loss may be damage to at least one of the following three locations: the inner ear, the auditory nerve and the cerebral hearing centers. Hence cigarette smoking increases the risk of damage to the hair cells and the auditory nerve, and therefore increases the chance of hearing loss and difficulties in understanding speech. In a study conducted in India in 2015, the effect of the number of cigarettes and the number of years the subjects smoked on their auditory condition was examined. According to the findings of the study, no significant effect was found on the number of cigarettes smoked by the subjects, but there is significance to the number of years they smoked. In the group that smoked for more than five years, significantly higher hearing thresholds were found compared to the group that smoked for less than five years.

What causes this?

It is still not entirely clear how hearing is damaged by smoking but there are several hypotheses. Smoking is known to affect the circulatory system. It can cause atherosclerosis, a condition in which the artery thickens and less blood flows in it, so less oxygen is transferred to the body’s cells. It is possible that the source of hair cell dysfunction is too little oxygen supply to the inner ear. Researchers explain that the damage to the high frequencies is since the artery that supplies blood to the hair cells that are responsible for the frequency range is more prone to atherosclerosis. Another hypothesis is that the nicotine present in cigarettes is a toxic substance that directly affects the function of the inner ear.

What about passive smoking?

Passive smoking has been known for years to affect the human body and is dangerous to health. Exposure to these substances in the womb or at young ages increases the risk of low birth weight, cot death and respiratory problems. In addition to all these, it has been found that passive smoking at any age can also affect the hearing system. It is recommended of course to avoid smoking, which has been proven to be harmful to health for many and varied reasons, including damage to the hearing system. It must be avoided around children to ensure they do not develop any hearing issues also.

What about alcohol?

Alcohol is dangerous in large consumptions. In moderation, as most things are, it is safe. However, with excessive drinking, the toxins from alcohol damage the liver. Drinking also directly affects the brain overtime and of course hearing is connected to our brains. As a result of the change in the chemical relay between nerve cells, alcohol causes changes in the function of the various parts of the brain. The cerebral cortex, whose main functions are processing information coming from the senses, thinking and controlling movement, the limbic system responsible for emotional responses and storage of information in memory, the cerebellum which controls muscle movement and the hypothalamus regulates secretion. Alcohol causes disruption of judgment, numbness of the senses, an increase in the pain threshold and a lack of control over muscle movement. It also leads to an increase in sexual desire but a decrease in sexual function. Excessive and long-term use of alcohol leads to memory loss and excessive emotional responses. It can also cause issues with hearing. For more information on hearing aids and hearing loss, as well as how to assist any queries you have relating to your hearing health, please contact us today at Hearing Wellness Centre. Call us today at (844) 663-9433.