Can Being Sick Impact the Results of Your Hearing Test?

Sometimes, a harmless common cold feel like the worst of them all. With that stuffy nose, swollen sinuses and sore throat, it’s hard to feel in tip-top shape. However, did you know that this can affect your hearing?

Most likely, you’ve noticed pressure around your ears or inside of your head when you’re sick, right? Well, if you have an upcoming appointment with your hearing health professional, specifically a hearing test, you need to evaluate whether it’s a good idea to go. Keep reading on to find out why!

Should You Reschedule Your Hearing Exam?

Yes, you should absolutely reschedule your hearing exam if you’re sick. Your hearing test results will be impacted if you’re sick. The results may not be accurate at all. When we’re sick, there’s fluid buildup within the middle ear, this causes an infection. Even if you only have a common cold, there is a very high chance that you’ll still deal with build-up. Let’s look more into how this can impact your hearing.

How Can an Illness Impact Your Hearing?

It all comes down to sensorineural hearing loss, which happens when everyone is sick. That congestion you feel when you’re sick will also impact all of the senses, and this certainly includes hearing too. The pressure of this built-up fluid is going to put some damage to the nerves and fine hairs within the cochlea. While this can potentially cause permanent hearing loss if it happens for too long, it’s fortunately quite rare.

However, that build-up is going to make it more challenging to hear, so even the smallest of common colds needs to be taken seriously. You need to have accurate hearing test results, and you won’t get that when you’re feeling sick.

What To Do

Fortunately, there are things that you can do in the meantime. For starters, make sure you reschedule your hearing exam; your hearing health professional and their staff are going to be very understanding about all of this. In fact, they’re also going to insist on you rescheduling as they know illnesses can impact exam results. So, if you’re wondering what you should do in the meanwhile during your recovery, here is what you should do:

• Wash your hands often and disinfect surfaces. This way, you’ll be able to decrease your sick time.
• Get plenty of rest: This means lying down and getting enough sleep.
• Look into decongestants to help remove built-up fluids.
• Drink plenty of water, tea and soup.
• Within 14-21 days, if you’re still experiencing issues, then it’s best to reach out to your general practitioner, as there is a chance that you may have something more serious.

What Else Can You Do?

Since your hearing health professional is going to play a major role in your hearing health, make sure you speak with them about your symptoms. You should especially do this if you’re very sick and are struggling to hear more than normal. They’ll be able to take appropriate action.