How Seasonal Allergies Can Affect Your Hearing | Hearing Solutions

If you’ve ever had a sinus infection or even a nasty head cold, you’re probably aware of how these illnesses can affect your ears and hearing. Your ears may have felt blocked or like there was intense pressure behind them, it may have even been harder to hear. While it’s not uncommon to experience these issues when you’ve got a cold, you may unaware that seasonal allergies can similarly affect your hearing. Anything from pollen, pet dander, dust, or mould can cause allergies and irritate your immune system, resulting in a number of symptoms, including sneezing, itching, and congestion.

Allergies can take a toll on your body, resulting in everything from breathing issues to watery eyes, but they can also have a huge impact on your hearing, which can be highly intrusive in your day-to-day life.

In this blog, we’ll discuss how allergies can affect your ears and hearing, including how they can cause tinnitus and what to do when seasonal allergies have impacted your hearing. 

Connections Between Allergies and Hearing Loss 

Seasonal allergies come and go, usually with changes in weather and temperature. It’s common for allergies to get worse in the springtime when the pollen count is at its highest. Spring allergies are also made worse by increasing humidity and moisture in the air, as well as the change in barometric pressure. Your age and environment also play a part in how allergies affect you.  

When you experience an allergic reaction, your body begins to produce histamines, which can cause inflammation in different parts of your body, including your ears. This inflammation can lead to many ear-related symptoms, such as pain, the feeling of pressure or blockage we mentioned earlier, and even hearing loss. 

Tinnitus Allergies

One of the most common hearing-related issues associated with allergies is tinnitus. While tinnitus is often described as a ringing or buzzing sound in the ears, what a person with tinnitus hears can be entirely subjective. 

The common thread is that they hear a noise with no external source. This happens when the cochlea or sensory hairs are damaged or blocked. While many things can cause tinnitus, such as loud noises, certain medications or head injuries, allergies are also a common cause.

If you’re experiencing tinnitus allergies, some medication may help. Antihistamines are commonly used to treat allergies and may also help tinnitus symptoms related to allergies. Antihistamines dry out your sinuses, which may help enhance function in your ears. Medications can help reduce tinnitus symptoms caused by allergies.

There are also over-the-counter decongestants and nasal corticosteroids that you can try to treat tinnitus by relieving congestion and reducing inflammation. 

If you have any concerns about how allergies are affecting your hearing, you can take an online test with us at any time. 

Three Ways Allergies May Impact Your Hearing 

1. Tinnitus 

When you have an allergic reaction, congestion and pressure on your sinuses can allow fluid to build up in your ear canals and behind your eardrums. 

The pressure from this fluid may result in intense pain or an uncomfortable blocked sensation in the ear. The changes in sensation and pressure may cause you to experience tinnitus allergies or, if you already have tinnitus, worsen your symptoms. 

     2. Ear Infections 

If your ears are affected by seasonal allergies, leaving these issues untreated increases your chances of getting an ear infection. The trapped fluid in your ears is a breeding ground for viruses and bacteria. 

While hearing loss and ear pain from allergies is usually temporary, it may be difficult to distinguish this discomfort from a newly forming ear infection. 

Left untreated, ear infections can lead to permanent hearing loss and conditions such as Meniere’s disease, resulting in tinnitus, vertigo and difficulty hearing, that changes in severity on a daily basis. 

     3. Eustachian Tube Dysfunction 

The build-up of fluid or mucus in the middle ear may get into the Eustachian tubes, irritating your throat and ears. Congestion may also be caused by tissue swelling, which prevents fluid from draining. 

As Eustachian tubes are connected to our ear canals, you may experience symptoms of hearing loss or other issues with your ears. 

Don’t Let Hearing Issues Go Untreated

While seasonal allergies are a common occurrence that many people aren’t too concerned by, the reality is that they can affect hearing in several ways. Allergies, especially when particularly severe, can cause you to develop tinnitus, put you at increased risk of ear infections and lead to Eustachian tube dysfunction. 

Understanding these issues and how they occur is essential for maintaining proper ear health and preventing problems like tinnitus from becoming permanent or developing other conditions such as Meniere’s disease. 

Hearing Solutions Can Help You Manage Your Allergy-Related Hearing Loss

If you’re someone who already suffers from tinnitus, you might consider it only a mild irritant. However, seasonal allergies can worsen the ringing or high-pitched sound in your ears. 

Without proper care, tinnitus can interfere not only with your hearing but also your mood, sleep, and overall quality of life. Fortunately, there are ways to manage and reduce tinnitus symptoms.

If you or someone you know suffers from tinnitus, remember that treatments to provide relief are available. Hearing Solutions can help you to gain better insight into your tinnitus symptoms and explore treatments to help your symptoms. We specialize in assisting individuals with tinnitus to identify their symptoms’ underlying causes and provide comprehensive treatment plans to mitigate them.

At Hearing Solutions, we offer a variety of treatment options to manage tinnitus, including hearing aids, sound therapy, and cognitive-behavioural therapy. Our professionals can help you find the most effective solution to your tinnitus symptoms and provide ongoing support to ensure that you experience maximum relief.

If you’re looking for relief from symptoms of tinnitus or tinnitus allergies, book an appointment online or call us at 1-888-811-9799 and let us help you take control of your hearing. 

 

References

Allergy Guide. (n.d.). REACTINE®. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www.reactine.ca/allergy-guide/outdoor-allergies/understanding-seas

Can allergies cause hearing loss? (n.d.). Healthy Hearing. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from target=”_blank”https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/51352-Can-allergies-cause-hearing-loss

Can Allergies Cause Tinnitus? (n.d.). Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/can-allergies-cause-tinnitus-5206221

Can Allergies Cause Tinnitus? The Connection and Treatment. (2022, June 27). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/can-allergies-cause-tinnitus#how-allergies-cause-tinnitus

Do Allergies Cause Hearing Loss or Tinnitus? | HearCANADA. (n.d.). Www.hearcanada.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www.hearcanada.com/en-ca/blog/can-allergies-cause-hearing-loss

Kerr, M. (2018, May 7). Seasonal Allergies: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment. Healthline; Healthline Media. https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/seasonal-allergies#causes

Prutsman, P. (2013, August 3). Do Allergies Cause Hearing Loss or Tinnitus? Sound Relief Hearing Center; Sound Relief Hearing Center. https://www.soundrelief.com/allergies-hearing-loss-tinnitus-denver/