Understanding the Impact of Fall Allergies on Hearing Loss

There are a variety of things that can have an impact on hearing loss, and allergies are one of them. Allergies are extremely common, and in fact the statistic for this is nearly one in five people will experience allergies at some point. What most people don’t know though is that fall allergies can have quite the impact on your hearing loss.

Temporary Hearing Loss

Fall allergies can cause what is known as temporary hearing loss. As the name suggests, this is where your hearing declines temporarily while you are dealing with your allergies. There are many reasons for this, but the general ones are that your ears get clogged up and because of that the entire ear, nose and throat system gets compromised. This can lead to temporary hearing loss, or at least some level of decline.

Symptoms of Hearing Loss Due to Allergies

It is more common for children to experience hearing loss due to fall allergies because they are more susceptible to ear infections than adults are. However, this is not to say that adults don’t experience this kind of hearing loss because they absolutely do. Some of the symptoms that you should be looking out for as follows:

• Swelling of the ear
• Short term loss
• Stuffy feeling ears
• A feeling of imbalance
• Vertigo
• Itchy ears

You may experience one or more of these, but most of the time the symptoms are going to be temporary and your hearing will return to normal as soon as allergy season is over. If this does not happen, then we recommend that you seek out advice from a hearing instrument specialist (HIS) as there may be a deeper problem.

Different Types of Hearing Loss Caused by Allergies

Depending which part of your ear is affected, allergies can have a number of different impacts on your ears. For example, if your outer ear is affected then you might find that your ear canal and the outside of your ear are itchy or swollen. This is typically because of an allergic skin reaction, and can cause some level of hearing loss.

Your inner ear can also be affected, especially if you have an inner ear disease. Even if you don’t, if you have noticed that your hearing is changing when your allergies are at their worst then this is a sure sign that there’s an issue with your inner ear. It’s best to get this checked out, as this could mean that you have an ear disease you don’t know about.

Allergies most commonly impact your middle ear, even though they can impact the other parts as well. If your middle ear is swollen or inflamed, your eustachian tube, which is a small tube inside your ear, won’t be able to function properly. Fluid that would normally drain away itself will build up, which will lead to a feeling of fullness. This is likely to manifest as problems with balance and a change in your hearing. If this does happen, it’s best to speak to a hearing instrument specialist as soon as you can just to be on the safe side.

What Can You Do to Treat This?

So, if you are experiencing hearing loss due to allergies, this can be quite annoying, but luckily there are a few things that you can try. First, try washing your ears with a warm, damp cloth. Do ensure that you are drying them thoroughly to avoid more problems, and make sure that you are not inserting anything like cotton swabs into your ear canal as this is still dangerous.

As well as this, you should try yawning because this can help your ears to pop which should allow you to hear better. Some people find that the use of antihistamines is extremely helpful and can return your hearing to normal. If this happens, take these regularly or as needed until allergy season is over.

Finally, you may have heard that when you have a cold you should inhale steam or menthol to help decongest yourself. This same method works wonders when your ears are all stuffed up, and can relieve the pressure you feel by opening up the eustachian tube, draining away any fluid.

If you would like to speak to a hearing instrument specialist, then you can get in touch with us at Armand’s Hearing Center in Bradenton at (941) 357-2054 or Sun City at (813) 990-0335. A friendly member of our team is ready to help you get scheduled to speak to someone as soon as possible so that you can get the best advice. We look forward to hearing from you soon.