Can different seasons affect your ears? They can!
The weather can be brilliantly balmy and summy or gloomy, cold, and sleepy. Maryland has a wide range of weather patterns, even in the relatively temperate Mid-Atlantic region. Even so, the changing seasons can bring about changes to your hearing health if you are not careful. Can weather affect your hearing? It actually can.
Spring’s Barometric Pressure Drop
In the spring, the air pressure drops. When it does, the outside atmospheric pressure might decrease at a greater rate than the pressure within your ears. If your ears’ pressure does not change at the same time as the atmosphere’s, you could experience popping ears and possibly fluid buildup in the inner ear.
Spring Allergies and Stuffy Ears
Spring allergies don’t just affect your eyes, nose, and throat. It impacts your ears as well. Your throat and inner ears connect through the Eustachian tubes; there is one for each ear. They help to regulate pressure within the ears. When you have respiratory issues and inflammation, your Eustachian tubes could partially close, causing ear pressure or pain.
Summer Swimmer’s Ear
Do you swim in cold water in the summer a lot? Be careful to keep yourself from getting the swimmer’s ear. When the ears undergo exposure to the cold, they might develop bone growth inside in an attempt to insulate the ear. This extra bone growth can interfere with normal hearing.
Summer Humidity
Maryland summers are notably humid, which can cause moisture to build up inside the ear and in hearing aids. If you wear hearing aids, take precautions to keep your aids as dry as possible day and night. Letting them dry in the open at night in a cool room is a great way to care for them.
Winter’s “Swimmer’s Ear”
In the winter, you can also develop “swimmer’s ear.” It is easy to prevent this condition, though, by wearing protective, warm clothing on cold days. A hat that covers the ears or ear muffs are simple solutions.
Trust the Experts at Clarity Audiology & Hearing Solutions
Need help with your hearing? Clarity Hearing can help. Clarity Audiology & Hearing Solutions is an independently owned and operated clinic that focuses on quality of care and personalized, friendly service to the surrounding areas of Ellicott City, Catonsville, Columbia. Our Doctors of Audiology are highly trained with advanced degrees and take the time to provide the personalized care and attention that you need and deserve. We provide advanced hearing aid options that are personally calibrated with cutting-edge digital technology to fit your hearing loss, your unique ear anatomy, and your individual listening needs.
You can call us today to schedule a FREE Hearing Protection Consultation at 410-698-6594! For more blog posts, news, and updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.