Heart Disease and Hearing Loss

Having poor cardiovascular health affects every aspect of your life. When your heart can’t pump enough blood to the rest of your body, you end up with concerning symptoms. One of them could be changes in your hearing. 

How can heart problems affect your ears? Learn more about hearing loss and heart disease — and what you can do to prevent and treat both issues. 

What’s the Connection Between Heart Health and Hearing?

Your heart is responsible for pumping oxygen-rich blood throughout your entire body. Every tissue and organ relies on your heart to supply enough blood for these systems to function properly. 

What Is Cardiovascular Disease?

Cardiovascular disease slows and impairs the flow of blood in your body, leading to serious health consequences. 

There are different types of cardiovascular disease:

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Coronary artery disease
• Congestive heart failure
• Peripheral artery disease
• Congenital heart disease
• Stroke
• Heart attacks

These problems can build up over time or be present from birth, like congenital heart disease. Many cardiovascular health problems are preventable. 

Heart Disease and Hearing Loss

Your ears are no different from the rest of your body — they need adequate blood supply to work properly. When your arteries and blood vessels aren’t transporting enough blood to them, your ear structures suffer damage. This negatively impacts your hearing, resulting in hearing loss and tinnitus. 

Heart disease-related hearing loss is usually sensorineural, meaning it’s based on inner ear nerve damage. Since your nervous system relies on adequate blood flow, any cardiovascular problems run the risk of damaging your auditory nerves. 

Lack of proper blood flow can also damage the tiny hair cells that transmit auditory signals to your brain. Once these hairs are damaged, they can’t be repaired. 

Can Heart Disease Cause Ringing in the Ears? 

When you think of hearing damage, you might think of partial or total hearing loss. However, there’s another sinister problem heart disease puts you at risk for — tinnitus. 

Tinnitus is a persistent, uncontrollable ringing, roaring, or buzzing sound in one or both ears. 

Scientists believe that abnormal blood flow to your ears confuses the electrical signals the inner ear hair cells send to your brain. That’s what causes the persistent noise, and it can be irreversible. 

High blood pressure can cause pulsatile tinnitus. This sounds like a persistent heartbeat in your ears. In these cases, what you’re hearing is the force of blood against your artery walls. 

Tinnitus can be temporary or chronic, and for most heart disease patients, it’s a long-term problem. Chronic tinnitus takes a toll on your mental health, sleep patterns, and social life. 

Signs of Heart-Related Hearing Loss

Can heart problems affect your ears and show symptoms before it’s too late? Yes. If you’re in the early stages of hearing loss and heart disease, there are steps you can take to get better. 

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a cardiovascular condition, look for signs such as:

• Ringing in your ears
• Persistent buzzing or roaring sounds
• Whooshing or pulsing sounds in your ears
• Trouble carrying conversations
• Difficulty hearing at normal volume levels
• Asking friends and family to repeat themselves
• Being unable to hear high-pitched noises
• Needing higher volume levels on electronics 
• Trouble sleeping and socializing

Your doctor should monitor your hearing and heart health at the same time to prevent your hearing loss from progressing. If you notice these signs, schedule a consultation with an audiologist promptly. 

How to Protect Your Hearing and Heart Health

The best treatment for hearing and heart problems is prevention. You should take intentional steps toward protecting your heart health and, in turn, your hearing for the rest of your life. 

Heart disease is usually preventable. Unless you suffer from congenital heart disease (present at birth), it isn’t inevitable. Here are some measures you can use to keep your heart in good shape. 

Eat a Healthy Diet Rich in Antioxidants

Antioxidants are found in whole plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables. To protect your heart and hearing health, load up your plate with plenty of healthy sides. 

Eating a healthy diet low in saturated fat and sodium protects your heart and can increase your lifespan. As a result, the arteries and blood vessels in your ears can stay healthier for longer. Try to avoid processed and frozen foods as much as possible, including fast food. 

Exercise Regularly

One of the best ways to boost your heart health is to exercise it frequently. The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity cardio to stay healthy. 

Even light cardio, like walking and jogging, is good for your heart. Making time for daily exercise will protect your ears from long-term damage by reducing your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. 

Turn the Volume Down

Your ears can only take so much exposure to loud noises before they become damaged. 

Use low volume levels when watching television or listening to music with headphones. If you go to a concert, wear ear plugs to reduce the decibel levels of your surroundings. Take regular breaks from loud environments if you don’t have any ear protection available. 

Is Heart-Related Hearing Loss Reversible? 

Generally, damage to your hearing isn’t reversible. The inner ear hair cells that help you hear properly don’t regenerate. Once they’re damaged and unable to function, they’re gone for good.

This doesn’t mean you’re stuck with no treatment options. It’s possible to improve your quality of life with heart-related hearing damage. An audiologist will present the best treatment options for your lifestyle and degree of hearing loss. 

Treatment Options for Hearing Damage

You can treat hearing loss with devices that enhance your hearing and provide accommodations. These include cochlear implants, assistive listening devices, and closed captioning on videos. The best way to treat hearing loss is to work directly with an audiologist and get your hearing assessed regularly. 

Worried About Heart-Related Hearing Loss? Book a Hearing Evaluation at Happy Ears Hearing

Heart disease and hearing loss are both serious problems. At Happy Ears Hearing, we offer hearing assessments to establish a baseline for your hearing health. After that, you can work with one of our audiologists to find the best treatment options for you. Book a consultation at one of our locations today!