Cold Season and Your Hearing

Grab the tissues, cuddle up in a blanket, and perhaps ask your family to speak a little louder.  Cold and flu season is in full swing, but many people forget that along with the runny nose, and body aches – your hearing health can take a hit as well.

Just like the nose and throat, when you get the cold or flu, your ears can build up with fluid as well.  Sometimes if the fluid does not properly drain, it can lead to an infection, but most of the time, patients will experience aches, hearing loss or muffled noise, and sometimes pressure in the ear.  You may also experience dizziness, due to the fluids affecting your inner ear.

If you are experiencing hearing health issues during your cold or flu, over the counter tablets or nasal spray can help with the fluid build ups.  You will also want to avoid temperature extremes – so keep your ears covered if you need to go outside.  Keep your head up so fluid can continually drain, and most importantly – be gentle when blowing your nose.  The increased pressure on your ear drums can cause damage if you push the pressure over the edge.

Drink plenty of fluids, and because of your balance potentially being off, we suggest you don’t stand up too quickly, and risk a fall.

If your hearing loss does not improve after a week, you can give us a call to asses for other issues beyond your flu symptoms.

Before we know it, Spring will be here, and we can shit our worries to…allergies!  But for now, enjoy the winter wonderland, and hopefully you’ll get through the season without any issues or tissues!