Hearing Health & Magnesium

A mighty mineral with longterm positive effects on the top hearing health issues such as hearing loss, tinnitus, and more.

Did you know that “professional musicians are four times as likely to develop NIHL (noise-induced hearing loss) as the general public”?

According to the Hearing Health Foundation (hearinghealthfoundation.org/musicians), professional musicians are also “57% more likely to develop tinnitus—incessant ringing in the ear as a result of their job.” When it comes to musician's health, often times the focus is on overuse injuries, and those parts of the body that start to breakdown and hurt from repetitive motions, bad posture or technique, or long rehearsal days. Ironically, hearing health is overlooked even though it is a vital part of a musician's everyday life and career.

Why take Magnesium?

There are, of course, measures one can take to reduce this risk—custom ear plugs, avoiding very loud situations, and in-ear monitors for those loud gigs. However, there are many proactive ways one can do internally for the body to promote good hearing health. One very important mineral to a musician that should be talked about way more often is Magnesium. Magnesium has a number of benefits to overall health such as anti-inflammatory benefits, help with anxiety and depression, and has even been known to help with Type 2 Diabetes.

But did you know that magnesium can help decrease your susceptibility to NIHL? It is also proven to significantly lessen the permanent hearing threshold shift that is inevitable after years of noise, according to an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, Volume 14, Number 4, 2003. (https://audiology.org/sites/default/files/journal/JAAA_14_04_04.pdf).

Magnesium has also been proven to help bring relief and lower the severity of tinnitus, as well as promote inner ear health. Other minerals and vitamins that contribute to good hearing health are Potassium, Zinc, Folate, and Vitamins A, C, and B-12. Other references: https://www.miracle-ear.com/blog-news/vitamins-for-ear-health.

While Magnesium is already present in our bodies, and readily available in a wide variety of foods, many people are magnesium-deficient, and do not get their recommended dietary allowance (or RDA) everyday, according to the National Institutes of Health (https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/).

From my personal experience, whether on the road touring, or at home catching up from being on the road or teaching, adding Magnesium as a supplement to your diet is a great way to promote your overall health, and just as importantly, further the longevity of your hearing health for years to come.