November is American Diabetes Month, an opportunity to raise awareness by educating the public about diabetes. At RestorEar, that means highlighting the relationship between diabetes and hearing health.

Hearing health isn’t just related to the auditory and vestibular systems. It relates to a variety of health conditions, including diabetes. According to a recently published study in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, people with type 2 diabetes have 4.19 the odds of having hearing loss compared to individuals without diabetes. Although the exact mechanisms of this relationship are still being studied, scientists believe that long-term changes to blood vessels and nerves caused by high blood sugar may play a key role. Understanding this link is key to helping individuals with diabetes protect their hearing and their overall health.

From heat, to smoke, to flashing lights, to chaos, firefighters face extreme environments every day. But one occupational hazard that often flies under the radar is noise exposure. As one of the groups with the noisiest occupations, firefighters are regularly subjected to sound levels high enough to cause permanent hearing damage.

Maintaining hearing health is essential for firefighters’ safety, communication, and long-term well-being. Here’s what you need to know about how the job affects hearing and how to prevent irreversible loss.