Valentine’s Day is February 14th, and February is American Heart Month. With all the heart-shaped decorations, it’s a great time to discuss heart health. As the center of the body’s circulatory system, the heart has an incredible impact on every major bodily system and function, and the auditory system is no exception.
The Cochlea and Blood Flow
The cochlea is an organ in the inner ear that is critical to the auditory system and our ability to hear. It is filled with fluid and lined with sensory cells shaped like hairs, which move and ripple in the fluid like plants on the sea floor. These hair cells convert sound wave vibrations into electrical impulses with their rippling, and then the cochlea transmits those electrical impulses up the auditory nerve to the brain.
Like all organs in your body, the cochlea and the hair cells inside it rely on blood supply to function properly. Reduced blood flow can starve the hair cells, causing them to wither and die, leading to hearing loss.
Cardiovascular Conditions and Hearing
The heart and blood vessels make up a system called the cardiovascular system (literally, “cardio” meaning “of the heart” and “vascular” meaning “of the blood vessels”). Since blood flow is so important to our auditory system’s function, cardiovascular conditions can have an impact, both direct and indirect, on our auditory system. Here are some cardiovascular conditions with known links to hearing loss:
- High blood pressure
- Anemia
- Diabetes
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart disease
- Heart attack
- Stroke
Some conditions that aren’t of the cardiovascular system can still affect blood flow, which can then affect hearing. For example, thyroid disorders directly influence the metabolism, but a changed metabolism will impact your heart rate, which leads back to blood flow to the cochlea.
What This Connection Means For You
We’re sharing the link between heart health and hearing health, not to stress you out if you have a cardiovascular condition, but to help inform you. If you have a cardiovascular condition, it’s wise to be proactive about your hearing health because of this connection.
Also, this information can go both ways; if what harms your cardiovascular health can also harm your hearing, then things that benefit your cardiovascular health can also benefit your hearing. Making heart-healthy lifestyle choices will cause a wide range of positive effects throughout the body, including your hearing. Things like eating a heart-healthy diet, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol intake and managing your stress levels can all contribute to improved heart health.
If you want to learn more about how cardiovascular health can impact hearing, talk to our experts at Oregon Ear, Nose & Throat Center. We’re happy to answer any questions you have and help you stay proactive with your health.