One of the worst things about developing tinnitus is that it's often hard to determine what's caused the sudden ringing, buzzing, and sometimes even dizziness and hearing loss. If you've ruled out typical causes like anxiety and diabetes, it could be time to look at your lifestyle. In particular, one common and surprising cause of tinnitus is alcohol consumption. If you drink multiple units of wine, beer or spirits every week, it could be having an effect on your hearing.
Alcohol Puts You Off-Balance
You probably already know that drinking can mess with your coordination and put you off balance, but did you know that these effects can continue even after the night's over? Alcohol can stay in your system for several days, making you feel dizzy in the same way tinnitus does. Drinking also increases the blood flow to your ears, which could be causing that annoying ringing or swooshing sound that's been plaguing you.
Alcohol Shrinks Part of Your Brain
When people warn you of the long-term effects of high alcohol consumption, the focus of the conversation is usually the liver and heart. However, many neglect to inform you of the damage alcohol can do to your brain too. In particular, excess drinking can shrink your auditory cortex—the part of your brain that controls your hearing. This affects your auditory signals, leading to hearing difficulties and ringing in the ears.
Alcohol Damages Your Ear Cells
On top of damaging your organs, alcohol can also damage the cells in your ear directly. Alcohol is 'toxic' to the hair cells that take sounds from your cochlea to your brain, translating them into impulses your brain can process. Over time, alcohol consumption damages these cells. If your hair cells aren't working properly, they can struggle to transmit sounds to your brain, resulting in hearing loss. The typical tinnitus ringing can also stem from ear cell damage, confusing the cells into sending the wrong signals to your brain. To make matters worse, these cells don't regenerate, so any damage done is permanent and further drinking will only exacerbate your tinnitus.
If you do have tinnitus, talk to an ENT specialist. They'll be able to determine whether the ringing is being caused by a lifestyle problem like excess drinking or another hearing problem. If drinking is the cause, the best solution will be cutting down on alcohol. If there's another problem with your hearing that's causing secondary tinnitus, your doctor will be able to recommend an ear surgery procedure to tackle it.
