Winter Weather and Your Hearing Health
𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 👂.
The increased ear ringing, head congestion, and mounds of earwax aren’t all in your head (so to speak)! They’re very real and very avoidable winter hearing symptoms.
Here’s what your ears are up against in the chillier months and some strategies to help avoid the fallout from these downright arctic North Dakota conditions 🥶!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿?
We experience more ear pain during the winter thanks to our ears’ anatomy. Much of the outer ear and ear canal is made of cartilage, with little skin and fat to insulate against low temperatures 🌡️. The inside of the ear is composed of sensitive tissue. Direct exposure to cold weather without protection produces outer and inner ear blood flow restrictions and swelling, potentially causing ear infections, earwax buildup, tinnitus, swimmer’s ear, and of course, frostbite.
𝗘𝗮𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Cold air and moisture combine to create the perfect environment for ear infections. When our eustachian tubes are blocked by bacteria-laden fluid and mucus, our middle ears become susceptible to infection. It’s usually when you’re experiencing congestion from a cold or flu that an ear infection follows.
𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘅 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘂𝗽
Freezing cold air combined with dry air is also a problematic combo. Ear canal exposure to dry air indoors and dry 𝙖𝙣𝙙 cold air outdoors causes earwax inside the canals to harden and the earwax struggles to naturally clear out. We experience temporary hearing loss in these situations.
Similarly, excess moisture in our ears (formed by prolonged wear of outer ear coverings) eventually evaporates and turns earwax into a stickier substance that compacts itself deeper into our ear canals, becoming again, difficult to remove.
𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘀
The cold and dry winter air breeds dehydration, restricting blood flow, and fueling tinnitus. The drop in atmospheric pressure during winter months increases ear pressure, worsening tinnitus for those currently suffering and 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙮𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨.
𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀
Constant exposure to low temperatures is known to cause exostosis, or “swimmer’s ear.” Swimmer’s ear is marked by bony growths in the ear canal. These growths effectively shrink your ear canal, making it difficult for your ears to drain earwax, excess moisture, or debris. Clogged ear canals spawn a range of trouble, from ear infections to permanent hearing loss.
𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀:
Keeping your ears protected and healthy during the winter months is surprisingly doable with a few easy precautions:
🔹 Dress for the weather 🧥 and responsibly treat your allergies to avoid the congestion and sickness 🤒 that feed ear infections.
🔹 Help your body maintain its blood circulation by covering your ears when you’re outside with scarves 🧣, earmuffs, a beanie, etc. Indoors, you can use a humidifier to combat the dry air heaters produce.
🔹 Don’t go outside with wet ears—remember, excess moisture 💧 and cold air 🌬️ are the best of friends and your ears’ worst winter nightmare.
🔹 Be careful removing excess earwax‼️ Avoid cotton swabs and instead, opt for medically approved alternatives. Dr. Kelci Jackson 👩🏼⚕️ recommends using a combination of water and peroxide which helps breakup the wax and allows it to slough off naturally.
𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨’ 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩, 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣!
We pride ourselves on treating our patients’ individual needs and understand the ins and outs of healthy hearing in the dastardly cold!
𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥📞 (𝟳𝟬𝟭) 𝟱𝟳𝟮-𝟭𝟬𝟳𝟳 𝗼𝗿 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆