Here’s Something You Need to Understand About Hearing Loss

As you got older, you probably began to associate hearing loss with aging. Older adults around you were probably wearing hearing aids or struggling to hear.

But just like 30 or 60 only seemed old to you until it started to catch up to you, as you learn more about hearing loss, you realize that it has less to do with getting old and much more to do with something else.

Here is the one thing you should know: Admitting that you have hearing loss doesn't make you old.

Hearing Loss is an "Any Age Problem"

By the age of 12, audiologists can already detect some hearing loss in 13% of cases. You'll agree, this isn't because a 12 year old is "old". Teenage hearing loss has risen 33% in the past 30 years.

What's happening here?

Disabling hearing loss has already developed for 2% of individuals between 45 and 55 and 8% of people between the ages of 55 and 64.

Aging isn't the problem. What you may think of as age-related hearing loss is 100% preventable. And you have the ability to significantly minimize its advancement.

Noise exposure is the typical cause of age associated or "sensorineural" hearing loss.

For decades hearing loss was thought to be inescapable as you get older. But nowadays, science knows more about how to protect your hearing and even restore it.

How Hearing Loss is Caused by Noise

The first step to safeguarding your hearing is recognizing how something as "harmless" as noise causes hearing loss.

Sound is composed of waves. These waves go into your ear canal. They progress down past your eardrum into your inner ear.

Here, tiny hair cells in your inner ear oscillate. The intensity and speed of these vibrations then encode a mental signal. Your brain then converts this code into sound.

But these hairs can vibrate with too much intensity when the inner ear receives sound that is too intense. The sound shakes them to death.

When these hairs are gone you won't be able to hear.

Why Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is Permanent

Wounds such as cuts or broken bones will heal. But these tiny hair cells don't grow back or heal. The more often you're subjected to loud sounds, the more little hair cells die.

Hearing loss worsens as they do.

Hearing Damage Can be Caused by These every day Noises

Many people are surprised to find out that daily activities can lead to hearing loss. These things may seem totally harmless:

• Putting the windows or top down on a busy highway
• Hunting
• Being a musician
• Going to a movie/play/concert
• Cranking up the car stereo
• Working in a factory or other loud profession
• Riding a motorcycle/snowmobile
• Mowing the lawn
• Using farm equipment
• Wearing head phones/earbuds

You can keep on doing these things. Luckily, you can take protective actions to minimize noise-induced hearing loss.

How to Stop Hearing Loss From Making You "Feel" Older

If you're currently suffering from hearing loss, acknowledging it doesn't have to make you feel older. As a matter of fact, you will feel older a lot sooner if you fail to acknowledge your hearing loss because of complications like:

• Strained relationships
• Anxiety
• Social Isolation
• Increased Fall Risk
• Dementia/Alzheimer's
• More frequent trips to the ER
• Depression

For individuals with neglected hearing loss these are substantially more common.

Ways You Can Prevent Additional Hearing Problems

Begin by learning how to prevent hearing loss.

1. Get a sound meter app on your phone. Discover how loud things really are.
2. Know about hazardous levels. Over 85 dB (decibels) can result in permanent hearing loss in 8 hours. 110 dB takes around 15 minutes to trigger irreversible hearing loss. 120 dB and above will cause instantaneous hearing loss. A gunshot is 140 to 170 dB.
3. Realize that you've already triggered irreversible hearing damage every time you've had a hard time hearing right after a concert. The more often it happens, the worse it will become.
4. When it's needed, use earplugs or earmuffs.
5. Implement work hearing protection rules.
6. Limit your exposure time to loud sounds.
7. Standing too close to loudspeakers is a poor idea in any situation.
8. Some headphones and earbuds have built in volume control for a less dangerous listening experience. They have a 90 dB upper limit. Most people would need to listen almost continuously all day to trigger permanent damage.
9. Even at lower volumes, if you are taking some common medications, have high blood pressure, or have low blood oxygen, you're hearing could still be in danger. To be safe, never listen on headphones at over 50%. Car speakers will vary and a volume meter app will help but when it comes to headphones, no louder than 50% is best policy.
10. Wear your hearing aid. The brain will begin to atrophy if you don't wear your hearing aid when you require it. It works the same as the muscles in your body. If you stop using them, it will be difficult to start again.

Schedule an Appointment to Have a Hearing Test

Are you procrastinating or in denial? Don't do it. Be active about reducing further damage by recognizing your situation.

Talk to Your Hearing Professional About Hearing Loss Solutions

Hearing impairment has no "natural cure". It might be time to get a hearing aid if your hearing loss is severe.

Do a Comparison of The Cost of Investing in Hearing Aids to The Benefits

Many people who do acknowledge their hearing loss simply choose to cope with it. They think hearing aids make them look old. Or they are afraid that they won't be able to afford them.

But when they recognize that hearing loss will worsen faster and can cause many relationship and health complications, it's easy to recognize that the pros well outweigh the cons.

Schedule a hearing test with a hearing professional. And you don't have to be concerned that you look old if you end up requiring hearing aids. Hearing aids today are a lot sleeker and more advanced than you may think!

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