Medical practitioners have been increasingly aware of the invisible impacts of stress in recent years. Although we don’t know what causes an individual to feel more or less stressed in a given scenario, stress has a wide range of impacts, ranging from mental health and mood control to heart disease and various cancers.
You could be inclined to believe that stress is purely negative because of its numerous negative impacts. On the contrary, stress is an essential human adaptation for dealing with challenging and frightening situations. We can experience “eustress” as a sense of desire and drive, even urgency, to achieve a goal in the best cases. This experience of strong positive stimuli leading to action, on the other hand, can just as easily be turned into a negative stimulus.
We can get into distress when we don’t feel we have the resources to deal with the stressor. The chemical response of distress can cause many of the poor health outcomes described above and many others.
Constricting the flow of oxygen into the bloodstream and altering the normal flow of circulation through the body are physical responses to stress. The body’s organs and systems can suffer if they don’t get enough oxygen and nutrients to thrive.
Hearing Loss and Stress
Although stress impacts the heart and mind, how does the link between hearing loss and stress occur? The flow of oxygenated blood does not reach all body parts, including the ears, when a person is in distress. Stereocilia, which are tiny hair-like cells in the inner ear, are required to detect variations in sound frequencies, making it possible to understand speech units.
These inner ear regions can be destroyed over time if they do not receive enough oxygenated blood. We can lose our hearing in specific frequency ranges if we don’t have sensitivity to such frequencies. Although stress is not a direct cause of hearing loss in this manner, it is undoubtedly an indirect cause.
Dealing with stress
Reducing your overall stress will assist you in being calm at work, enjoying time with your family, and protecting your hearing. You can’t stop hearing loss from happening, but you can make efforts to safeguard your hearing and lessen your tinnitus symptoms.
You can relieve tension by doing the following:
Taking a break: Take a break if you’re feeling particularly anxious. Get up from your desk, sip some water, and take a few deep breaths to clear your mind. You won’t be as overwhelmed when you return to the task.
Spend time with friends: Direct person-to-person interaction prompts elements of our neurological system to release a “cocktail” of neurotransmitters tasked with controlling our response to stress and anxiety, according to Psychologist Susan Pinker. To put it another way, face-to-face communication may help us become more resilient to stress causes in the long run.
Exercising: One of the most efficient strategies to deal with stress and anxiety is to exercise. Exercise-induced stress causes your brain to release endorphins, which are natural painkillers. Exercise regularly, whether it’s once a day or three times a week, promotes your brain to release endorphins, which can help you feel better.
Meditation: What are the benefits of meditation for stress relief? It allows us to determine which demands on our time, attention, and emotions are legitimate and which are not. Consider how different our sense of stress and anxiety would be if we could distinguish between the two. When we don’t have this space in our minds and lives, we feel stress. When meditation offers us the space and clarity we need to order our priorities, we feel relief.
Treat your hearing loss
Untreated hearing loss might put you under a lot of stress. You’re concerned that you won’t be able to keep up with talks, and you’re ashamed to ask others to repeat themselves. Hearing loss can be treated to help you hear more clearly, reduce stress, and boost your social confidence.
When you come to see us, we’ll give you a thorough hearing exam to determine precisely what noises you’re missing. We’ll then collaborate to determine the best hearing aids for your hearing loss, lifestyle, and budget. Hearing loss can be treated to help you relax and enjoy clear hearing. Make an appointment with Ear-Tronics right away!