How Stress Affects Hearing Health: What You Need to Know

Stress touches nearly every aspect of our lives from how we sleep and eat to how we think and connect with others. But did you know stress can also affect how we hear?

While we often think of hearing loss as being caused by loud noise or aging, chronic stress is a lesser-known contributor to auditory problems, including tinnitus, sensitivity to sound, and even hearing loss. Understanding this connection is an important step in protecting your hearing health and overall well-being.

‍

The Science: How Stress Impacts the Auditory System

When we experience stress whether physical, emotional, or psychological our bodies enter a “fight or flight” state. This triggers the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which prepare us to respond to threats. But over time, chronic exposure to these hormones can negatively affect the delicate structures of the inner ear.

Here’s how stress can impact your hearing:

1. Reduced Blood Flow to the Inner Ear
   
   • Elevated cortisol levels can lead to vasoconstriction, or narrowing of blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the cochlea, the hearing organ in the inner ear¹.
   • The cochlea relies heavily on a constant, healthy blood supply and a lack of circulation can cause temporary or even permanent damage to the sensory cells inside the ear¹.
2. Increased Tinnitus Symptoms
   
   • Stress is strongly linked to tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears), and in many people, stress can make existing tinnitus worse.
   • While the exact mechanism is still being researched, it's believed that stress can impact blood flow, increase muscle tension, alter the brain’s processing of auditory signals, and cause sleep disturbances - amplifying the perception of tinnitus^{1, 2}.
3. Lowered Sound Tolerance
   
   • People under chronic stress may also become more sensitive to everyday sounds, a condition known as hyperacusis^3,4.
   • This increased reactivity may stem from how the brain filters sensory input when under stress, heightening awareness and discomfort around sound⁴.

Managing Stress to Support Your Hearing Health

The good news? There’s a lot you can do to protect your hearing by managing stress proactively.

Here are a few strategies backed by research:

• Mindfulness & Meditation: Proven to reduce cortisol and improve emotional regulation, which may help reduce the intensity of tinnitus and improve coping^5,6.
• Regular Physical Activity: Exercise promotes cardiovascular health and increases circulation, including to the inner ear.
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Working with a trained therapist can be especially helpful if stress or tinnitus is interfering with daily life⁷.

When to Seek Help

If you’re noticing increased sensitivity to sound, worsening tinnitus, or subtle changes in your hearing, especially during or after stressful periods, it may be time to check in with a hearing professional. Even if your hearing test results are normal, your symptoms are real and deserve attention.

At Hearing Health Consulting, we take a holistic, science-informed approach to care that recognizes how hearing is connected to your overall well-being. You don’t need to wait until symptoms become overwhelming.

‍

Don't Tune Out What Your Body is Telling You

Stress and hearing health are more connected than most people realize. While stress is part of life, how we respond to it matters, especially when it comes to protecting our ears and our quality of life.

Ready to talk about your hearing concerns in a space that’s supportive and science-based? Book a 30-minute exploratory consultation today. No pressure, just professional insight and guidance tailored to your needs.

‍

References:

1. Canlon B, Theorell T, Hasson D. Associations between stress and hearing problems in humans. Hear Res. 2013 Jan;295:9-15. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2012.08.015. Epub 2012 Sep 12.
2. Patil JD, Alrashid MA, Eltabbakh A, Fredericks S. The association between stress, emotional states, and tinnitus: a mini-review. Front Aging Neurosci. 2023 May 3;15:1131979. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1131979.
3. Manohar S, Chen GD, Li L, Liu X, Salvi R. Chronic stress induced loudness hyperacusis, sound avoidance and auditory cortex hyperactivity. Hearing Research. 2023;431:108726. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2023.108726
4. Tinnitus and hyperacusis: Contributions of paraflocculus, reticular formation and stress. Hearing Research. 2017;349:208-222. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2017.03.005
5. McKenna L, Marks EM, Hallsworth CA, Schaette R. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy as a Treatment for Chronic Tinnitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 2017;86(6):351-361. doi:https://doi.org/10.1159/000478267
6. Britton WB, Shahar B, Szepsenwol O, Jacobs WJ. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Improves Emotional Reactivity to Social Stress: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial. Behavior Therapy. 2012;43(2):365-380. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2011.08.006
7. Nakao M, Shirotsuki K, Sugaya N. Cognitive–behavioral Therapy for Management of Mental Health and stress-related disorders: Recent Advances in Techniques and Technologies. BioPsychoSocial Medicine. 2021;15(1):16. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-021-00219-w