About 40 percent of people with migraine experience vertigo and dizziness — symptoms that can arise from a disorder of the vestibular system, which includes parts of the inner ear — according to the Vestibular Disorders Association. It’s also not unusual for people affected by migraine to have increased sensitivity to sound during a migraine attack, which is called sonophobia or phonophobia, according to Kiran Rajneesh, MBBS, a neurologist and pain medicine specialist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. “Actual hearing loss and hearing problems in the setting of migraine aren’t as common,” Dr. Rajneesh says.
Can Migraine Cause Hearing Problems?
Migraine doesn’t cause hearing loss, says Rajneesh. “Some of the common hearing-loss problems are associated with migraine, but we don’t know the nature of the association,” he says. It’s unclear if one condition leads to the other or if they coexist, he says, adding that there is evidence to suggest that people with hearing loss tend to have more migraine attacks. But, he notes, “We don’t have enough big studies to determine the relationship.”
Vestibular Migraine and Hearing Problems
The type of migraine known as vestibular migraine originates in the part of the inner ear and brain that is responsible for balance, says Rajneesh. “In that type of migraine, you’re going to get some motion sickness, dizziness, and maybe some hearing changes during the attack, which could include fluctuating changes — decreased hearing or hypersensitivity — and tinnitus,” he says. Tinnitus is most often described as a ringing in the ears, but it can also be experienced as roaring, clicking, hissing, or buzzing. The perceived sound can be soft or loud, high-pitched or low-pitched, and it can be present in one or both ears, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. People who have hearing problems also tend to have tinnitus, says Rajneesh. “If you have tinnitus, it’s a good idea to talk with a neurologist or primary care doctor to find out if this is a hearing issue or if this is coming from the brain. Depending on the underlying cause, the treatments are different,” he says. If the tinnitus is related to migraine, then treating the migraine may improve it.
Hearing Changes and Headache Can Be Caused by Pressure in the Brain
In addition to vestibular migraine, Rajneesh explains that another kind of headache is associated with tinnitus: idiopathic intracranial hypertension. “This condition is caused by too much cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid around the brain and spinal cord,” he says. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension can cause a severe headache and visual loss. “People who have this describe their tinnitus as almost like a gushing sensation in the ear or as though they are standing by the ocean and hearing the waves come in,” says Rajneesh. This condition is rare, occurring in about 1 out of 100,000 people, though it’s more common in women ages 20 to 45 with obesity, with an incidence of about 20 out of 100,000, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
Does Migraine Ever Cause Sudden Hearing Loss?
“If a person experienced sudden hearing loss, migraine wouldn’t be at the top of the list for the underlying cause, although it would be a consideration,” says Rajneesh. “Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a sign of a potentially serious health issue, and we would do an extensive workup to find the underlying cause. We would want to rule out other conditions, which could include infection, Ménière’s disease, or sometimes a clot in the veins draining the brain can cause hearing issues.” Ménière’s disease is caused by the buildup of fluid in the compartments of the inner ear, called the labyrinth, usually affecting only one ear. Migraine-type headaches can sometimes occur with Ménière’s disease, along with hearing changes, tinnitus, and hearing loss; in rare cases, the hearing loss can be sudden, according to the Merck Manual. Ménière’s disease is a condition that ebbs and flows, says Rajneesh. “After you’re diagnosed with it, you may have several months where you’re feeling better, and then something changes and your ear gets full again, and then you get hearing loss again,” he says. Even though sudden deafness is quite rare, a meta-analysis published in October 2020 in Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology found that individuals with migraine were at a higher risk for sudden sensorineural hearing loss compared with people without migraine.
When to See a Doctor About Hearing Loss or Migraine
If you have headaches accompanied by hearing loss and your headaches are associated with swelling, discharge, redness of the ear, fever, chills, night sweats, weight loss, or vomiting, you should seek out medical attention right away, according to Rajneesh. “This could be a sign of a very serious underlying condition,” he says. Similarly, if you’re a person with migraine and your migraine attacks suddenly change in some way — for example, they become much more frequent, the pain is more severe, or you begin having different symptoms such as hearing problems — that’s also red flag, and you should see a healthcare professional, says Rajneesh. “Timing can be very important. The sooner you seek treatment, the sooner you can get a diagnosis. Earlier is better because some conditions may cause eardrum damage or brain damage. We want to avoid that if at all possible,” says Rajneesh.
