Do you recollect the old tale of Johnny Appleseed? When you were younger you most likely heard the story of how Johnny Appleseed journeyed around providing fresh apples to communities (you should eat apples because they are good for you and that’s the moral of the story).
That’s only somewhat accurate. The real Johnny Appleseed (whose real name was John Chapman) did indeed bring apples to lots of states across the country around the turn of the 19th century. But apples were really different way back then. They weren’t as sweet or yummy. Brewing hard cider, in fact, was the chief use of apples.
That’s right. Johnny Appleseed was bringing booze to every community he visited.
Alcohol and humans can have a complicated relationship. On the one hand, it’s bad for your health (you will frequently notice some of these health symptoms immediately when you feel hungover). Nevertheless, humans typically enjoy feeling intoxicated.
This isn’t new. People have been drinking since, well, the dawn of recorded history. But it may be possible that your hearing problems are being worsened by drinking alcohol.
In other words, it isn’t 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 agree that drinking causes tinnitus. That shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to believe. If you’ve ever imbibed a bit too much, you may have encountered something called “the spins”. 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 manifest because the alcohol is interfering with the part of your body in control of balance: your inner ear.
And what else is your inner ear good for? Hearing, of course! So if alcohol can produce the spins, it’s not hard to believe that it can also produce ringing or buzzing in your ears.
That’s because alcohol is an ototoxic compound
Now there’s an intimidating word: ototoxic. But it’s actually just a fancy word for something that impairs the auditory system. The entire auditory system from your ears to your brain is included in this.
Here are a few ways this can play out:
- 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 efficiently (both decision making centers, and hearing centers are affected).
- Alcohol can damage the stereocilia in your ears (these are tiny hairs that allow you to sense vibrations in the air, vibrations that your brain later converts into sound). These little hairs will never heal or grow back once they have been compromised.
- Alcohol can decrease flow of blood to your inner ear. This in itself can become a source of damage (most parts of your body don’t especially like being deprived of blood).
Tinnitus and hearing loss due to drinking are often temporary
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.
The good news is that these symptoms (when they are caused by alcohol intake) are usually temporary. Your tinnitus will typically clear up along with most of your hearing loss when your body chemistry goes back to normal.
But the longer you have alcohol in your system, the longer your symptoms will last. And it may become irreversible if this kind of damage keeps happening continually. So if you drink too much too often, permanent damage could possibly happen.
Some other things are happening too
Of course, it’s more than simply the booze. There are a couple of other elements that make the bar scene a little inhospitable for your ears.
- Alcohol leads to other issues: Even if you put the hearing loss element aside, drinking is rather bad for you. Alcohol abuse can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. And more severe tinnitus symptoms as well as life threatening health concerns could be the result.
- Noise: The first is that bars are usually, well, noisy. Some of their charm comes from…uh.. just this. Look, if you’re 20 it’s great; if you’re 40 it’s a little much. There’s loud music, loud people, and lots of yelling and mary-making. All of that noisiness can, over time, cause damage to your hearing.
The point is, there are significant risks to your health and your hearing in these late night bar visits.
So should you 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 social interaction, that’s the root of the issue. So you could be doing considerable 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.