Everybody recognizes that exercising and keeping yourself in shape is good for your overall health but you might not know that losing weight is also good for your hearing.
Research reveals children and adults who are overweight are more likely to experience hearing loss and that eating healthy and exercising can help support your hearing. Learning more about these relationships can help you make healthy hearing choices for you and your family.
Adult Hearing And Obesity
A Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s study revealed that women with a high body mass index (BMI) were at an increased danger of experiencing hearing loss. The connection between height and body fat is what BMI measures. The higher the number the higher the body fat. The higher the BMI of the 68,000 women in the study, the higher their hearing impairment frequency. The participants who were the most overweight were as much as 25 percent more likely to experience hearing loss!
In this study, waist size also turned out to be a dependable indicator of hearing impairment. Women with bigger waist sizes had a higher chance of hearing loss, and the risk got higher as waist sizes increased. Lastly, participants who took part in frequent physical activity had a decreased incidence of hearing loss.
Obesity And Children’s Hearing
A study on obese versus non-obese teenagers, performed by Columbia University Medical Center, concluded that obese teenagers were twice as likely to develop hearing loss in one ear than teenagers who weren’t obese. These children suffered sensorineural hearing loss, which is a result of damage to sensitive hair cells in the inner ear that convey sound. This damage resulted in a diminished ability to hear sounds at low frequencies, which makes it difficult to understand what people are saying in crowded places, like classrooms.
Children often don’t realize they have a hearing problem so when they have hearing loss it’s especially worrisome. There will be an increasing danger that the problem will get worse as they become an adult if it’s not treated.
What is The Connection?
Obesity is related to several health problems and researchers suspect that its connection with hearing loss and tinnitus lies with these health issues. High blood pressure, poor circulation, and diabetes are some of the health issues caused by obesity and tied to hearing loss.
The inner ear’s workings are very sensitive – comprised of a series of small capillaries, nerve cells, and other fragile parts that need to stay healthy to work correctly and in unison. Good blood flow is crucial. This process can be hindered when obesity causes narrowing of the blood vessels and high blood pressure.
Decreased blood flow can also damage the cochlea, which receives vibrations and transmits nerve impulses to the brain so you can distinguish what you’re hearing. If the cochlea is damaged, it’s usually permanent.
What Should You do?
Women who stayed healthy and exercised regularly, according to a Brigham and Women’s Hospital study, had a 17% lowered likelihood of developing hearing loss in comparison with women who didn’t. Decreasing your risk, however, doesn’t mean you have to be a marathon runner. Walking for two or more hours each week resulted in a 15 percent reduced chance of hearing loss than walking for less than an hour.
Beyond weight loss, a better diet will, of itself, improve your hearing which will benefit your entire family. If there is a child in your family who has some extra weight, talk with your family members and put together a program to help them lose some of that weight. You can incorporate this routine into family gatherings where you all will do exercises that are fun for kids. They may do the exercises on their own if they like them enough.
If you think you are experiencing hearing loss, speak with a hearing specialist to discover whether it is linked to your weight. Weight loss stimulates better hearing and help is available. This person can perform a hearing exam to confirm your suspicions and advise you on the measures necessary to correct your hearing loss symptoms. A regimen of exercise and diet can be recommended by your primary care doctor if necessary.