Remember the old tale of Johnny Appleseed? When you were younger you probably heard the story of how Johnny Appleseed journeyed around bringing fresh apples to communities (you should eat apples because they’re good for you and that’s the moral of the story).
That’s only partly accurate. Around the end of the 19th century, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman was his birth name) did in fact bring apples to many parts of the United States. But apples weren’t as tasty and sweet as modern apples. Producing hard cider, in fact, was the main use of apples.
That’s right. Johnny Appleseed was providing booze to every community he visited.
Humans have a tricky relationship with alcohol. It’s not good for your health to start with (you will frequently experience some of these health symptoms right away when you feel hungover). But many people enjoy getting buzzed.
This habit goes back into the early mists of time. Since humans have been recording history, people have been indulging in alcohol. But it may be possible that your hearing issues are being exacerbated by drinking alcohol.
Simply put, it isn’t only the loud music at the bar that can cause hearing troubles. It’s the beer, also.
Drinking triggers tinnitus
The fact that alcohol causes tinnitus is something that hearing specialists will generally confirm. That’s not really that hard to believe. You’ve probably experienced “the spins” if you’ve ever drank too much. That’s where you get really, really dizzy and the room feels like it’s, well, spinning (especially with your eyes closed).
When alcohol interferes with your inner ear, which is the part of your body in control of balance, tinnitus can manifest.
And what other function does your inner ear take a part in? Hearing, of course! So if alcohol can cause the spins, it isn’t difficult to believe that it can also produce ringing or buzzing in your ears.
Ototoxic compounds, including alcohol, will cause tinnitus
Now there’s a scary word: ototoxic. But it’s actually just a fancy word for something that impairs the auditory system. This involves both the auditory nerves and the inner ear, essentially everything that links your whole auditory system, from your ears to your brain.
There are a few ways that this occurs in practice:
- Alcohol can decrease flow of blood to your inner ear. This by itself can become a source of damage (most regions of your body don’t really like being deprived of blood).
- Alcohol can degrade the stereocilia in your ears (these are fragile hairs that let you sense vibrations in the air, vibrations that your brain later converts into sound). Once those tiny hairs are damaged, there’s no coming back.
- Alcohol can affect the neurotransmitters in your brain that are responsible for hearing. So your brain isn’t working efficiently when alcohol is in your system (clearly, decision-making centers are impacted; but so, too, are the parts of your brain in charge of hearing).
Tinnitus and hearing loss due to drinking are usually temporary
You might begin to detect some symptoms when you’re out on the town having some drinks with friends.
These symptoms, thankfully, are generally not permanent when related to alcohol. As your body chemistry goes back to normal, you’ll likely begin to recover some of your hearing and your tinnitus will decline.
Naturally, the longer alcohol is in your system, the longer it will take your ears to return to normal. And it may become irreversible if this type of damage keeps occurring repeatedly. So if you drink too much too often, permanent damage could possibly happen.
Some other things are happening too
It’s not only the booze, however. There are a couple of other factors that make the bar scene a little inhospitable for your ears.
- Noise: The first is that bars tend to be, well, loud. Some of their appeal comes from…uh.. just this. Look, if you’re 20 it’s great; if you’re 40 it’s a little much. There’s noisy music, loud people, and lots of laughing. Your hearing can be compromised over time by this.
- Alcohol leads to other problems: Drinking is also bad for other facets of your health. Alcohol abuse can result in health problems such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. And more extreme tinnitus symptoms as well as life threatening health problems could be the result.
In other words, the mix of the environment and the alcohol make those late night bar trips a potent (and hazardous) mix for your ears.
Does that mean it’s time to quit drinking?
Of course, we’re not saying that drinking alone in a quiet room is the solution here. It’s the alcohol, not the social interaction, that’s the source of the issue. So you may be doing substantial damage to your health and hearing if you’re having difficulty moderating your drinking. You should consult 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, schedule an appointment with us for a consultation.