Remember the old tale of Johnny Appleseed? In elementary school, you might have been taught that he migrated across the US, bringing the gift of nourishing apples to every community he visited (the moral of the story is that apples are good for you, and you should eat them).
That’s only somewhat true. The authentic Johnny Appleseed (whose real name was John Chapman) did indeed introduce apples to lots of states across the country around the end of the 19th century. But apples were really different hundreds of years ago. They weren’t as sweet or delicious. In truth, they were generally only utilized for one thing: creating hard cider.
That’s right. Johnny Appleseed was delivering booze to every community he visited.
Alcohol and humans can have a complex relationship. On the one hand, it’s terrible for your health (and not only in the long run, many of these health effects can be felt immediately when you spend the early morning hours dizzy, throwing up, or passed out). But many individuals like to get a buzz.
This is not a new thing. People have been imbibing since, well, the dawn of recorded time. But if you’re dealing with hearing problems, including tinnitus, it’s likely that your alcohol intake could be creating or exacerbating your symptoms.
Put simply, it’s not only the loud music at the bar that can cause hearing troubles. It’s the beer, too.
Drinking alcohol causes tinnitus
The fact that alcohol triggers tinnitus is something that hearing specialists will usually confirm. That’s not really that hard to believe. If you’ve ever imbibed a little too much, you may have experienced something known as “the spins”. When you’re dizzy and the room feels like it’s spinning after drinking this is what’s called “the spins”.
When alcohol disturbs 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 play a part in? Hearing, of course! Which means that if you’ve experienced the spins, it’s not a surprise that you might have also experienced a buzzing or ringing in your ears that are characteristic of tinnitus.
Ototoxic substances, including alcohol, will trigger tinnitus
The word ototoxic might sound scary, but it just indicates something that can be damaging to your hearing. The whole auditory system from your ears to your brain is included in this.
Here are a number of ways this can play out:
- The blood flow in your ear can also be reduced by alcohol. This by itself can become a source of damage (most parts of your body don’t really enjoy being deprived of blood).
- Alcohol can impact the neurotransmitters in your brain that are in charge of hearing. This means that, while the alcohol is in your system, your brain isn’t functioning efficiently (both decision making centers, and hearing centers are affected).
- The stereocilia in your ears can be compromised by alcohol (these are little hairs that allow you to sense vibrations in the air, vibrations that your brain later converts into sound). Once those tiny hairs are compromised, there’s no coming back.
Tinnitus and hearing loss caused by drinking are usually temporary
So if you’re out for a night on the town or getting some drinks with some friends, you might notice yourself developing some symptoms.
These symptoms, thankfully, are generally not permanent when related to alcohol. Your tinnitus will usually clear up along with most of your hearing loss when your body chemistry goes back to normal.
But the longer you have alcohol in your system, the longer your symptoms will persist. And it could become permanent if this kind of damage keeps happening continually. So if you drink too much too frequently, permanent damage could possibly take place.
Here are some other things that are happening
It isn’t just the booze, however. There are a couple of other factors that make the bar scene a little inhospitable for your ears.
- Noise: Bars are typically pretty noisy. That’s part of their… uh… appeal? Look, if you’re 20 it’s fine; if you’re 40 it’s a little bit much. There’s noisy music, loud people, and lots of yelling and mary-making. Your hearing can be compromised over time by this.
- Alcohol causes other problems: Even if you put the hearing loss element aside, drinking is pretty bad for your health. Alcohol abuse can result in health issues such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. And all of these problems can ultimately be life threatening, as well as contribute to more extreme tinnitus symptoms.
Simply put, the combination of the environment and the alcohol make those late night bar visits a powerful (and hazardous) mix for your hearing.
So should you stop drinking?
Naturally, sitting in a quiet room and drinking by yourself is not at all what we’re recommending. It’s the alcohol, not the social interaction, that’s the root of the issue. So you may be doing substantial damage to your health and hearing if you’re having a hard time moderating your alcohol intake. Your provider can help you move towards living a healthier life with the correct treatment.
If you’ve noticed a loud ringing in your ears after heavy drinking, schedule an appointment with us for a consultation.
