How Spring Allergies Can Affect Your Hearing

Spring, it’s that wonderful time of year where everything is blooming and new life buds forth. Spring is a time of new beginnings. But for some, all this new life and color brings a few unwelcome side-effects, namely allergies, and for hearing aid wearers, allergies can present unique challenges.

How Do Spring Flowers Impact Your Hearing?

Spring flowers, as beautiful as they are, bring allergies for many in our Southeast Missouri area. Allergies can bring a runny nose and sneezing, but why does this affect our hearing?

The body produces extra mucous during an allergy attack, even in places you can’t see. This can include inside your ears. So the extra mucous can lead to hearing issues causing a conductive hearing loss.

Conductive hearing loss is when something is blocking the sound from traveling to or through the eardrum.

Conductive hearing loss can be temporary, but may need to be treated.

Once the cause of the conductive hearing loss is resolved, your hearing should return to it’s previous level. Your hearing may suddenly sound muffled and voices may be hard to understand even if you are wearing hearing instruments. Your ears may also feel full, achy, and itchy.

During the spring allergy season many times this issue is fluid or wax build up.

While experiencing allergy induced, conductive hearing loss, wearing a hearing aid can even be less comfortable, and it may seem like the hearing aid isn’t working. Take the time to have your hearing instruments cleaned and checked in the office and try to clean them often at home during the spring time.

Another good reason for a hearing appointment is to check for wax build up from the extra mucous produced in the body. But remember, cotton swabs only push wax further into the ear. The ears will usually expel wax when left alone but for hearing instrument users the insertion of your hearing instrument will also prohibit this natural process. Once wax is on the outside, you can just wipe it off.

Hearing blockages can happen in three primary locations:

1. Outer ear – The outer canal may get itchy, causing you to scratch so that it swells up with excess fluid. The best protection from this is to leave your ear wax there to do its job, which is keeping pollen out.

2. Middle ear – The Eustachian tubes in your middle ear normally drain fluid out of the ear. But they may be overwhelmed by all the extra mucous caused by spring allergies. You may develop an ear infection.

3. Inner ear – The excess fluid building up in the middle ear can put pressure on your eardrum and fluid imbalance in the ear, possibly leading to vertigo (extreme dizziness) or an eardrum rupture.

What to Do If You Experience Allergy-related Hearing Loss

Usually an over-the-counter allergy medication will help relieve the symptoms and restore your hearing to it’s previous state. Follow the directions on the box, but if this does not relieve your symptoms you may need to work with your healthcare provider to help manage your allergies.

If hearing loss during allergy season is impacting your ability to function, or it lasts after the allergy symptoms have cleared up, it’s best to get your hearing checked.

If you’re having trouble with your hearing aids during the spring months, then come see us to improve your hearing. If you’re not hearing well, please contact our office to schedule an appointment, so you can enjoy the sounds of the season.

Spring’s bringing newness to your surroundings, let us help you begin a season of better hearing.