Diabetes and hearing loss: What you need to know

Published June 2025 | 5 min read
Expert contributors: Sam Thomas, audiologist, Connect Hearing; Professor Elif Ekinci, Director, Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations (ACADI)
Words by Trudie McConnochie

Did you know having diabetes can double your risk of hearing loss? The good news is you can protect your hearing with a few lifestyle changes. 

When most people think about diabetes, they likely focus on major organs like the pancreas, kidneys and heart – and don’t give much consideration to their ears. 

But did you know people living with diabetes have double the incidence of hearing loss than those who don’t have this chronic illness? And if you have pre-diabetes – when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet in diabetes territory – your risk is 30% higher than people who don’t live with any form of the condition. 

Audiologist Sam Thomas, from Connect Hearing, says high blood sugar levels can affect blood vessels and nerves in the cochlea (part of the inner ear). 

“The cochlea detects sound vibrations and then it passes that sound up to the brain,” Sam says. “Diabetes can cause damage to the blood vessels, and therefore the function, of the cochlea. This can result in hearing loss.”  

Thankfully, if you’re living with diabetes, there’s lots you can do to lower your chances of experiencing hearing loss. 

The link between diabetes and hearing loss

Diabetes, which affects almost 1.9 million Australians, occurs when there’s too much insulin in the blood, leading to blood vessel and nerve damage in different parts of the body, including the kidneys, brain, legs and eyes. In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system destroys cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. In type 2 diabetes – the most common form – the body stops responding to insulin as it normally would and, over time, the pancreas stops producing enough insulin. While type 1 diabetes is genetic and can’t be prevented, type 2 diabetes can often be prevented, managed or even reversed through various modifiable lifestyle factors. 

Professor Elif Ekinci, Director of the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations (ACADI) based at The University of Melbourne, says an increased risk of hearing loss exists with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. As well as high glucose levels damaging nerves and blood vessels in the cochlea, there are other ways diabetes affects hearing ability.  

“Diabetes is also associated with high blood pressure, which can be related to hearing loss,” she explains. “High blood pressure could affect small vessels in the ear and may affect blood flow to the cochlea. 

“Diabetes can also increase the risk of infections, including infections in the middle ear, which, if untreated, can lead to hearing loss.” 

Not only can diabetes increase your risk of hearing loss, but, according to a 2023 report in the journal Molecular Medicine, having the condition can also increase the severity of hearing loss – although more research is needed to fully understand this.  

Signs of hearing loss

Some of the common signs that could indicate you’re experiencing a hearing issue include: 

• struggling to hear soft sounds 
• needing to turn the TV up louder 
• pain or ringing in the ear 
• discomfort with loud noises 
• struggling in conversations, e.g. needing people to face you when speaking.  

“If you’re having to ask people to repeat themselves or you’re starting to feel like people are mumbling, that can be signs you’re starting to develop hearing loss,” Sam adds. 

He recommends getting your hearing checked by an audiologist (you don’t need a GP referral) if you notice any of these signs.  

Impacts of hearing loss

Hearing loss can have a negative impact on your self-esteem, confidence, relationships and ability to work. It can also lead to social isolation and poor mental health. 

The type of hearing loss associated with diabetes is sensorineural hearing loss, which is where the cochlea doesn’t detect sounds as well as it used to. It can also be caused by ageing, meningitis, exposure to damaging noise levels and some chemicals and medications. 

Once your hearing is lost through sensorineural hearing loss, you can’t get it back, so audiologist Sam recommends seeing a healthcare professional as soon as you notice any signs of a hearing issue. Most types of sensorineural hearing loss are treated with hearing aids and in some cases cochlear implants, which can help reduce further hearing loss and improve your hearing. 

Lowering your risk of hearing loss

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, keeping your blood sugar levels in check could lower your risk of developing hearing loss, says Sam.  

Did you know heart disease and diabetes are closely linked? Around 30% of people with type 2 diabetes also have cardiovascular disease – that's why it’s important to get checked regularly and make sure you’re on the right path. Through our partnership with the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, eligible HCF members aged 18 and over can get a free^* HCF Heart and Diabetes Health Check on selected dates and locations, which gives you insights into your blood pressure, total cholesterol and average blood sugar levels. The check only takes 10 minutes, and you can get your results on the spot.

It’s also important to get advice on managing diabetes from your GP and see an audiologist every year for a hearing test. 

“When you get your first test, that gives us a baseline. Then, when we see you annually from there on, we can do subsequent hearing tests to determine whether there has been any change in your hearing,” says Sam. “For people wearing hearing devices, we can adjust these if there has been a shift in the hearing levels.” 

Wearing hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs in loud environments and keeping the volume at safe limits if you’re wearing headphones are also recommended. 

Prof Ekinci says as well as taking prescribed medications, lifestyle changes to manage your diabetes can also help to prevent hearing loss.  

This could include following the Mediterranean diet, which centres your eating around a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds, legumes, fish, seafood and poultry, eggs, dairy and lean meats, while limiting saturated fats and processed foods.

“It’s also essential to exercise regularly, ideally 30 to 45 minutes per day with a combination of aerobic exercise and weight training, and to avoid smoking and reduce alcohol intake,” Prof Ekinci says. 

Get up to 100% back^{^} on hearing aids

Have you been diagnosed with hearing loss? Through our partnership with Connect Hearing, you could get up to 100% back^{^} or a reduced cost on a range of high-quality hearing aids (one every three years). You can also access free online tools to better understand your hearing. Learn more here.