Are You Hearing Your Stress?

Hearing allows us to perceive sounds on the physical level, but on a mental level hearing allows us to understand what others or the world is communicating to us.  The gift of this body sense lets us communicate and connect with life.

As people age their ability to hear lessens.  Usually exposure to loud noises is the culprit.  The sounds of noisy machinery and high volume music do the most damage.  Hearing loss in both ears due to overexposure to noise has been shown to increase one's risk for heart disease. Generally, people with high-frequency hearing loss in both ears were about twice as likely to have coronary heart disease compared to those with normal high-frequency hearing.  Interestingly, there was no link to heart disease among people with one-sided hearing loss or loss of lower-frequency hearing, further supporting the idea that noise exposure is the cause.

But what if your hearing loss is due to stress? Stress can cause hearing issues like loss of hearing and it can cause hypersensitivity to noises.  Are you then free from heart disease?  No, because stress is linked to cardiovascular disease and it doesn't matter if your issue is from loud noises or emotional overload.

The real issue is defining stress as an energy, for good or for bad.  When the resources are perceived as falling short of the current demands, stress occurs.  Too much noise overloads the ear's delicate hearing system.  Too much emotional pain puts the body in a stress mode which changes the way it functions, making it tense up and be in a flight or fight mode which drains circulation and operation of regular and necessary body functions.  Stress causes many diseases not just heart disease.

Hearing and stress can be solved by hearing what the world is communicating to you and this is more than just a physical hearing issue.  When things feel like too much, it is important to take a break and stop the stress cycle.  Ayurveda recommends a daily routine for mornings as well as meditation. These things allow the body to rest and recover.  Any relaxing ritual and deep breathing can help as long as it is done regularly.  Adequate sleep is very helpful as well.  After the rest, the mind and body work much better, probably allowing for a helpful solution instead of a frazzled reaction.  The rest actually lets you hear a better way.

Stay healthy & well,
Lisa