{"id":1545,"date":"2018-05-20T23:54:50","date_gmt":"2018-05-21T06:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unusual-kelp.flywheelsites.com\/?p=1545"},"modified":"2023-03-21T14:45:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T18:45:05","slug":"did-you-know-your-smoking-habit-can-affect-hearing-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losgatosaudiology.com\/did-you-know-your-smoking-habit-can-affect-hearing-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Did You Know Your Smoking Habit Can Affect Hearing Health?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A smoking habit has a long list of well-known risks to health, including respiratory problems, cancer and heart disease. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has estimated that about 40 million Americans smoke cigarettes, so this can have huge health implications on the US population.<\/p>\n

Already it is estimated that approximately 16 million of these smokers are suffering from a smoking-related disease or ailment, and smoking results in over 480,000 deaths in America each year.<\/p>\n

If you smoke or live with a smoker, you probably know the health risks associated with that habit. What you may not know is that smoking can also affect hearing health.<\/p>\n

Smoking and Hearing Health<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Researchers have known there is a correlation between smoking and hearing loss since a study in 1962, but studies since then have confirmed it over and over again. It has been demonstrated that there is a 70% increased risk of hearing damage in smokers over non-smokers.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t smoke but you live with a smoker, you are also at risk: exposure to second-hand smoke doubles your risk of hearing loss over those without exposure.<\/p>\n

And if you are young, don\u2019t think you are excluded from these statistics: even teens exposed to cigarette smoke are two to three times more likely to develop hearing damage compared to those teens without smoke exposure. Many of those affected don\u2019t even realize their hearing has been compromised until the damage has been done.<\/p>\n

How Does Smoking Affect Hearing Health?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Cigarettes contain many harmful chemicals and toxins, from arsenic, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide, to ammonia and nicotine. Carbon monoxide and nicotine can deplete oxygen levels and cause blood vessels to constrict throughout the body. When blood flow is restricted, your hearing can suffer because the inner ear hair cells depend on good blood flow to function.<\/p>\n

Nicotine and smoking itself also have a number of other things they do throughout the body:<\/p>\n