11 Surprising Causes Of Hearing Loss

Blood-related conditions: Types 1 and 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol affect almost every cell in the body—including the ears. Vibrations from tiny hair cells in your ears send your brain messages about what you’re hearing, but those cells need proper blood flow. “All those hair cells are fed nutrients by tiny little capillaries,” says Craig A. Kasper, AuD, FAAA, chief audiology officer of New York Hearing Doctors. “If there’s any problem with blood flow, you’re not going to get those hair cells to grow.” Diabetics, for instance, are twice as likely to experience hearing loss than the rest of the population is, he says.

Blow dryers: A hairdryer near your head could be putting out 85 or more decibels of noise—the point that the National Institutes of Health says could put you at risk for hearing loss. You’d probably have to dry your hair for eight hours straight before it did any damage, but that loud part of your beauty regime could add up over time, says Kit Frank, AuD, supervisory audiologist with NYU Langone Medical Center. “The more you use [blow dryers] and the longer you use them, the more likely you are to have damage,” she says. “It might not do immediate damage, but over time it will.”

Loud Music: The ringing in your ears after a loud concert is a sure sign the music was too loud, but live shows aren’t the only culprit. Even the tunes coming through your headphones could damage your ears. Earbuds are typically more damaging than over-the-ear headphones because they rest deeper in your ear canal, says Dr. Frank. And if you crank up the volume to drown out the noise around you, things get even riskier, says Dr. Kasper. “You typically have to compete with the environmental noise to hear the music,” he says. “That’s when it becomes dangerous.” Sticking with volume at or below 60 percent will keep the sound at a safe level, he says. If you can’t hear at that volume, buy sound-blocking headphones to cut out the outside noise

Prescriptions: Hearing loss could be a side effect of your medication. Some diuretics for heart disease, chemotherapies, and antibiotics (especially gentamicin, neomycin, and others in the –mycin family) could damage your ears. Getting better is probably your first priority, but it’s worth talking to your doctor about whether the dose is high enough to do damage. “High doses of any antibiotic can be dangerous,” says Dr. Frank. “Usually myacins are used in high doses.”

OTC pain relievers: Even pain relievers you get over the counter, like aspirin and ibuprofen, could do damage in high amounts. Any hearing loss or tinnitus from them is usually temporary, but the side effects are sometimes permanent. As long as you stick with baby aspirin or regular doses of a pain medication, though, you won’t risk ruining your hearing, says Dr. Kasper.

High fever: As if a high fever weren’t bad enough, that elevated temperature could also damage the nerves in your inner ear, either because of inflammation or lack of oxygen. “If you don’t get that oxygen to the nerves, they break down and they don’t work like they should,” says Dr. Frank.

Cooking appliances: Noisy appliances like blenders and coffee grinders could do damage to your ears over time. The more often you get those noisy blades going, the more trauma your ears go through. Hard-core chefs should consider ear protection, though the occasional smoothie isn’t anything to worry about. “If you’re in the kitchen and cooking and using a blender all day, that’s a problem,” says Dr. Frank. “If you use it for ten seconds once a week, it probably won’t be a problem for you.”

Power tools: The racket from lawn mowers, jackhammers, drills, and other power tools isn’t just a headache—it’s also a risk for hearing damage. You’ll need to protect your ears, but earplugs might not be the best choice. Putting fingers grimy from the tools so close to your ear canal could put you at risk for infection, says Dr. Kasper. Instead, pick up a pair of earmuffs from the hardware store. “They go right over the ear, and they’re easy to take on and off,” Dr. Kasper says.