Growing up, you likely began to associate hearing loss with aging. Most of us have past experiences with older people trying to understand conversations, or utilizing hearing aids.
But just as 30 or 60 only seemed old to you up until it rapidly approached, when you discover more regarding hearing loss, you find out that it has less to do with aging and far more to do with something else entirely.
Feeling old is the number one reason people can’t admit they have hearing loss.
You can Begin Loosing Your Ability to Hear at any age
Even before we turn 13, audiologists already begin to identify some amount of hearing loss in 13% of instances. Certainly, somebody who is 12 years old is certainly not “old”. In the past 30 years we have seen a 33% increase in teenage hearing loss.
What’s at work here?
2% of 45 – 55-year-olds and 8% of 55 – 64-year-olds already have debilitating hearing loss.
It’s not an aging problem. It’s absolutely possible to stop, despite the fact that most people might consider it an aging problem. And you have the ability to greatly lessen the development of your hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss, which is the medical terminology for age-related hearing loss, is commonly caused by loud noise.
For a long time people have believed that hearing loss was just part of the aging process. But today, scientists know more about exactly how to safeguard your hearing and even restore it.
How Noise Causes Hearing Loss
You must comprehend that loud noise is not harmless if you desire to start to safeguard your hearing.
Waves of pressure are what makeup sound. These waves go into your ear canal. They travel down through your eardrum into your inner ear.
Tiny hair cells vibrate here in the inner ear. A neurological code is made up of how fast and how frequently these tiny hairs vibrate. This code will be translated by your brain into the sound of birds singing, someone screaming for help, a jet plane, or any other sound which might be near you.
But when the inner ear is exposed to sounds that are too loud, these hair cells vibrate too rapidly. They die because the vibrations are too loud for them to deal with.
Without them, you can’t hear.
Hearing Loss Caused by Loud Sound is Permanent
Lots of types of injury can be healed by your body. These little cells do not heal. When they die, they are lost permanently. Each and every time you are subjected to loud sound, a few more of these cells are lost for ever.
As they die, hearing loss progresses.
There are Sounds That are Common Which can Cause Hearing Damage
Many people are shocked to learn that everyday activities may cause hearing loss. You may not think twice about:
- Going to a concert/play/movie
- Wearing earbuds/head phones
- Turning the car stereo way up
- Mowing the lawn
- Using farm equipment
- Riding a motorcycle/snowmobile
- Driving on a busy highway with the windows or top down
- Working in a factory or other loud profession
- Hunting
- Playing music in a band
These activities don’t need to be abandoned. It is possible to reduce noise associated hearing loss by taking pro-active strategies.
Don’t Allow Hearing Loss Make you Feel old
If you already suffer from hearing loss, admitting it doesn’t have to cause you to feel older. The longer you ignore it, the worse it will get, and you will wind up feeling older much sooner because of:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s
- Increased Fall Risk
- Social Isolation
- More frequent trips to the ER
- Strained relationships
These are all significantly more prevalent in people with untreated hearing loss.
Further Hearing Loss can be Avoided
Learning how to avoid hearing loss is the first thing you should do.
- Find out how loud things truly are by using a sound meter app on your cell phone.
- Learn about damaging volumes. Above 85 dB (decibels) can cause permanent hearing loss in just 8 hours. 110 dB takes about 15 minutes to cause permanent hearing loss. 120 dB and above results in immediate hearing loss. A gunshot is around 140 to 170 dB.
- You should know that you have already caused hearing damage if you have had a hard time hearing, or if your ears were ringing, after a concert. Over time it will get worse.
- Use earplugs and/or sound-dampening earmuffs when appropriate.
- Adhere to work hearing protection policies.
- Reduce your exposure time to loud sounds.
- Refrain from standing near to loudspeakers or turning speakers up when listening at home.
- Buy earbuds/headphones which come with integrated volume control. These never go higher 90 decibels. You would need to listen practically non-stop all the time to do irreversible damage.
- High blood pressure, not enough blood oxygen, and some medications can make you more vulnerable at lower volumes. To be certain, never listen to headphones at over 50%. Car speakers vary.
- Put on your hearing aid. Not wearing a hearing aid if you require them causes the brain to atrophy. It’s similar to your leg muscles. If you stop walking, it will be much harder to walk.
Schedule a Hearing Test
Are you procrastinating or are in denial? Stop it. The faster you make the smart choice the less injury you will keep doing.
Talk to Your Hearing Specialist About Hearing Solutions
There are no “natural cures” for hearing damage. If hearing loss is severe, it might be time to get a hearing aid.
You Should way the Cost Against the Benefits of Buying Hearing Aids
Many people are either in denial about hearing loss, or alternatively, they decide to “tough it out.” They presume hearing aids will make them seem old. Or they believe that they cost too much.
However when they understand that hearing loss will get worse faster and can cause various health and relationship difficulties, it’s simple to be certain that the pros well outweigh the cons.
Talk to a hearing care professional now about getting a hearing test. And if hearing aids are advisable, don’t worry about “feeling old.” Hearing aids these days are much sleeker and more advanced than you may think!
