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 healthy apples to every community he paid a visit to (the moral of the story is that apples are good for you, and you should eat them).
That’s only somewhat accurate. The real Johnny Appleseed (whose real name was John Chapman) did indeed introduce apples to many states across the country at about the end of the 19th century. But apples weren’t as tasty and sweet as modern apples. Actually, they were mainly only used for one thing: producing hard cider.
That’s right. Johnny Appleseed was bringing booze to every community he visited.
Humans have a tricky relationship with alcohol. It isn’t good for your health to start with (and not just in the long term, many of these health impacts can be felt immediately when you spend the early morning hours dizzy, vomiting, or passed out). Nevertheless, humans typically enjoy feeling intoxicated.
This behavior goes back into the early mists of time. Since humans have been recording history, people have been enjoying alcohol. But it may be possible that your hearing issues are being exacerbated by alcohol consumption.
So when you’re at the bar, loud music isn’t the only risk to the health of your hearing. It’s the beer, also.
Tinnitus can be caused by alcohol
Most hearing specialists will agree that drinking causes tinnitus. That shouldn’t be too big of a stretch to accept. If you’ve ever partaken of a little too much, you may have encountered something called “the spins”. When you’re dizzy and the room feels like it’s spinning after drinking this is what’s called “the spins”.
The spins will occur 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? Obviously, your hearing. So if alcohol can trigger the spins, it’s not difficult to believe that it can also create ringing or buzzing in your ears.
Ototoxic compounds, including alcohol, will trigger tinnitus
Now there’s an intimidating word: ototoxic. But it’s actually just a fancy word for something that harms the auditory system. 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 impact the neurotransmitters in your brain that are in control of hearing. So your brain isn’t functioning efficiently when alcohol is in your system (both decision making regions, and hearing centers are impacted).
- 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). Once those tiny hairs are compromised, there’s no repairing them.
- Alcohol can reduce flow of blood to your inner ear. The lack of blood flow can itself be a source of damage.
Tinnitus and hearing loss due to drinking are usually temporary
You may begin to detect some symptoms when you’re out on the town having a few drinks with friends.
The good news is that these symptoms (when they are related to alcohol intake) are typically temporary. Your tinnitus will typically go away 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 could become permanent if this type of damage keeps happening continually. In other words, it’s entirely possible (if not likely) that you can cause both permanent tinnitus and hearing loss by drinking too much and too frequently.
Some other things are happening too
Of course, it’s more than simply the liquor. The bar scene isn’t favorable for your ears for other reasons also.
- Noise: Bars are usually pretty noisy. That’s part of their… uh… appeal? Look, if you’re 20 it’s fine; if you’re 40 it’s a little much. There’s much fun and merriment, people talking, and loud music. Your hearing can be compromised over time by this.
- Alcohol leads to other problems: Drinking is also detrimental to other aspects of your health. Alcohol abuse can result in health issues such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. And all of these issues can inevitably be life threatening, as well as worsen more extreme tinnitus symptoms.
In other words, the mix of the environment and the alcohol make those late night bar trips a powerful (and risky) mix for your ears.
Does that mean it’s time to quit drinking?
Of course, we’re not implying that drinking by yourself in a quiet room is the solution here. It’s the alcohol, not the social interaction, that’s the root of the issue. So you may be doing substantial damage to your health and hearing if you’re having a hard time moderating your drinking. You should talk to your physician about how you can seek treatment, and start on the road to being healthy again.
If you’ve noticed a loud ringing in your ears after heavy drinking, make an appointment with us for a consultation.
