When the lovely spring weather comes back around, it brings with it some nasty allergens. If you have allergies that flare up, it may come as a shock that it can actually affect your hearing. For some, it can be confusing. They need to know if they have temporary hearing loss or permanent hearing loss.

How Do Allergens Affect Hearing?

The main way that allergens can affect your hearing is by making your congestion worse. When your sinuses flare up, that buildup of fluid can occur in your ears. This can cause a blockage of sound waves which can't reach your inner ear. This blockage of vibrations can prevent you from being able to process sound. That makes it difficult for you to hear. You may not hear sounds at all, or they may come across as muffled.

Exacerbated Hearing Loss

Many people who visit their audiologist due to allergies find they have permanent hearing loss. Oftentimes, their hearing loss is mild and not super noticeable. But allergies can flare up their sinuses and excess fluid will start blocking sounds. When this happens, their hearing loss becomes exacerbated.

A Note on Hearing Aids and Allergy Season

If you're currently wearing hearing aids, allergy season can affect your hearing. Not only can it block your ears, but it can make wearing your hearing aids uncomfortable. This holds especially true if you have in-the-ear style hearing aids. You may find that a great way to fix this issue is to reduce the allergens that you're exposed to. Be sure to upgrade to a different hearing aid that doesn't have as many components inside of your ear.

It's also a good idea to give your hearing aids a good cleaning throughout allergy season. Airborne allergens like pollen can make their way into your hearing aid components. These allergens can affect the proper functioning of your hearing aids. They can even cause damage to your devices. It's best to step up your cleaning routine to double it during allergy season.

How to Cope With Allergies and Hearing Loss

With both conductive hearing loss or hearing loss due to allergies, there are some ways to manage it. First, talk to your doctor about taking allergy medications and medicated hearing drops. These can both reduce the swelling of your sinuses. This can prevent any blockage in your eardrum.

Contact Us Today

If you believe that you have hearing loss, it's best to get a free hearing evaluation. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with our knowledgeable audiologists today! We are here to help you hear better.