Prolonged stress can negatively affect various aspects of your health, including the health of your ears. It’s important to implement stress management techniques in your everyday life to improve your overall health and protect your hearing health as well.
Understanding the Impact
The function of the inner relies heavily on proper blood circulation. Any condition that disrupts normal blood flow can adversely affect hearing capabilities. Stress disrupts the body’s ability to return to a calm state, potentially leading to heart-related diseases, hypertension or other health issues that compromise blood circulation. This, in turn, can damage the inner ear’s hair cells, leading to sensorineural hearing loss. SNHL is a permanent condition once inner ear hair cells are damaged.
Research has established a significant link between the increased occurrence of hearing loss and tinnitus, and factors such as job stress, poor sleep quality and high levels of burnout.
Stress also contributes to the difficulty in managing tinnitus symptoms or might trigger an episode of tinnitus. For instance, pulsatile tinnitus can worsen with heightened blood pressure. Stress can also cause the ears to feel blocked or stuffed, contributing to a negative impact on hearing health.
Strategies for Stress Management
To fend off conditions detrimental to your health and, by extension, protect your hearing health, consider implementing the following stress management techniques:
- Take breaks regularly: Whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress, whether at work or home, allow yourself a moment to step back and breathe deeply. This can help mitigate feelings of being overwhelmed.
- Engage in physical activity: Exercise offers numerous benefits for both mental and physical health and is an effective stress reliever. You might want to explore a yoga class at [local-yoga].
- Build a support network: It’s important to have a reliable support system, individuals you can regularly talk to and who can provide you with support.
Managing stress is a critical component of maintaining your hearing health. It’s equally important to limit exposure to loud noises, take regular breaks from noise, wear suitable hearing protection when necessary and ensure you have your hearing tested regularly.
For further information on maintaining hearing health or to schedule a hearing test, contact Oregon Ear, Nose & Throat Center to schedule a hearing test today.