Tinnitus and hearing loss are on the rise, and researchers are attempting to prove that stress is one cause of partial deafness, high to low frequency hearing loss and tinnitus.
Scientists agree that many of the symptoms of tinnitus, the characteristic buzzing or high pitch ringing noise in the ears, are often age-related or a result of overexposure to dangerously high noise decibels. New research has been presented that secondhand smoke (passive smoking) might also be a cause for tinnitus, hearing loss and ear infections among children. Scientists concede that half of all cases of hearing impairment are preventable.
Another theory which some scientists believe is that stress, the common denominator in all illness, might also play a factor in causing hearing loss and tinnitus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report stating that 80% of all individuals who have a hearing impairment live in low-income to middle-income living areas in developing countries. Researchers conducted a study to prove a link between stress levels in less affluent countries and escalating cases of hearing-related disorders such as tinnitus.
- Researchers in Sweden conducted a 120-question survey designed to determine the impact of stress on one’s health.
- Participants answered questions about their physical and psychosocial work environment, home environment, physical health and mental health.
- Participants were also questioned about the symptoms of tinnitus, such as continuous ringing in the ears, and their ability to hear and carry out conversations.
- Scientists found a direct correlation between stress and hearing ability; the participants who suffered the most stress were more likely to become ill, have difficulty sleeping and suffer hearing-related illnesses such as partial deafness and tinnitus.
- Women were just as likely to suffer from stress-induced hearing loss as men.
- Scientists also noted a direct correlation between high stress and lower tolerance to infections, another possible cause of tinnitus.
Read Finding Tranquility with Tinnitus: Relax the Mind
If you think you might be suffering from tinnitus or any other hearing impairment, a visit to an audiologist or ENT is necessary in order to prevent any further damage.
For more information about preventing tinnitus and hearing loss, read:
Gear Up to Prevent Hearing Loss: Five Things you Should Buy Now
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When it comes to nerves and nerve conduction vitamin B-12 plays a special role. The body needs this nutrient to manufacture myelin, the fatty sheath that wraps around nerve fibers, insulating them and allowing them to conduct their electrical impulses at a better pace. A vitamin B12 deficiency can raise blood levels of homo-cysteine, an amino acid that is thought to be toxic to nerves, and cause subsequent ringing in the ears. Vitamin B12 sheathes ear nerves and may help prevent tinnitus.
Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with chronic tinnitus,” says Dr. Attias. “Long-term exposure to noise depletes the body’s levels of B12 and so makes the ears more vulnerable to noise-induced damage.” If you have tinnitus, and especially if you also have memory problems, ask your doctor to check your blood level of vitamin B12.
Research from the Institute for Noise Hazards Research and Evoked Potentials Laboratory at Chaim-Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan and from Tel Aviv 
University, both in Israel, looked at a group of 385 people with tinnitus and found that 36 to 47 percent suffered from vitamin B12 deficiency. All of the people low in B12 received injections of 1,000 micrograms weekly for four to six months. At the end of that time, their hearing and tinnitus were evaluated. Fifty-four percent reported improvement in their tinnitus, and approximately one-fourth reported reductions in the measured loudness of their tinnitus.
Most people get enough vitamin B12 from foods but often an individual is unable to absorb the B12 in their GI tract, which will eventually cause a deficiency. Strict vegetarians, who eat no meats, dairy products or eggs, are also at risk for deficiency, since B12 comes only from animal products. If your doctor determines that you have issues with absorbing B12 the vitamin you will need to supplement it. Those with an absorption problem will need to opt for either injections of B12 by your doctor, sublingual B12 pills from your pharmacist (studies show this method can also be poor in terms of absorption) or a transdermal B12 patch available online.
