Did you know that smoking has a direct impact on your hearing? Even if it’s just passively, the exposure to cigarette smoke will weaken the immune system, damage tissue and can largely affect your hearing health.

Nicotine and carbon monoxide constrict blood vessels by lowering the oxygen levels in your blood. If you smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke, the blood vessels in your inner ear will also constrict. 

Research suggests that the effects of smoking can make you more sensitive to loud noises which could, over time, contribute to developing noise-induced hearing loss. Smoke can also mess with your neurotransmitters of the auditory nerve and impact what your brain thinks it’s hearing.

If you smoke during pregnancy, you risk your child developing hearing loss. This can occur as a small child, or even as late as their teenage years.

Smoking has also been linked to tinnitus and ear infections, regardless of age. So be sure to keep second hand smoke away from children, because as we know, middle ear infections can be responsible for hearing loss.

There’s never been a better time to quit and improve your hearing health!

Don’t forget to invest in ear plugs. We should all have a set for those noisy times. You can still communicate properly while wearing ACS Custom Pro ear plugs.