Hearing Loss and Long-Term Blood Sugar

Yes, it is absolutely true. Hearing loss is one of the most frequently overlooked long-term complications of diabetes. In fact, research shows that mild to moderate hearing loss is more than twice as common in people with diabetes compared to those without the condition.

The mechanism behind this is very similar to how diabetes affects your eyes and kidneys. Your inner ear relies on a highly complex, delicate network of tiny blood vessels and nerves to process sound waves and send those signals to your brain. Over the years, prolonged periods of high blood sugar can damage these microscopic blood vessels, reducing the blood supply to the inner ear. Without a healthy blood supply, the tiny hair cells in the ear that detect sound begin to die off, and unfortunately, they do not regenerate.

Furthermore, frequent severe low blood sugars (hypoglycemia) can also damage the nerve pathways that carry sound signals from the ear to the brain.

Because this type of hearing loss happens very gradually, most people do not notice it until it begins to affect their daily lives, such as having to constantly turn up the television or struggling to hear high-pitched voices. It is highly recommended that anyone living with diabetes gets a baseline hearing test with an audiologist and follows up with regular screenings to catch any changes early.