While winter brings holidays and special memories, it’s also the time of the dreaded cold and flu season. You may expect to experience congestion, coughing, and other frustrating symptoms associated with these illnesses, but one frequently overlooked symptom you could also encounter is temporary hearing loss. Discover how the cold and flu can impact your hearing and what you can do to protect your ears below.

How Do Wintertime Illnesses Affect Hearing?

When you experience congestion caused by a cold or flu virus, it’s possible for fluid to build up in the middle ear. This fluid can impede the travel of sound from the outer ear to the eardrum, making sounds seem muffled. Congestion can also result in ear infections, which may cause discomfort and temporary hearing loss.

Very rarely, viral infections such as the flu could cause permanent hearing loss. In some cases, this is caused by increased susceptibility to bacterial or fungal infections, which can lead to hearing loss. In other situations, viral infections can directly compromise the structure of the inner ear. If hearing issues don’t fade when other symptoms begin to disappear, contact an audiologist for assistance.

How Can You Prevent Hearing Loss?

One of the simplest ways to avoid hearing damage, temporary or permanent, is to minimize your risk of getting sick in the first place. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to get the flu vaccination to reduce your odds of contracting common strains of the virus. Wash your hands frequently, and avoid contact with people who are sick.

If you do contract a cold or the flu, stay hydrated and get plenty of rest. Call your healthcare provider if you experience any severe symptoms, such as frequent dizziness, swollen glands, or a fever of 101 degrees that persists for more than a day.

If you’re experiencing hearing loss, allow Glacier Ear Nose & Throat and Glacier Hearing Service to help. Serving Flathead County, MT, this ENT and hearing clinic has been providing targeted treatments for local patients for more than 30 years. Explore their hearing services online or call (406) 752-8330 to schedule an appointment.