Growing up into adulthood, you probably began to associate hearing loss with old age. The majority of us have experience with older people struggling to make out words and phrases, or using hearing aids.
As you grow up, you start to discover that there is a different factor regarding hearing loss besides aging.
Here is the most important thing to know: Admitting that you have hearing loss will not make you old.
It Doesn’t Matter What Your age is, you Might Still get Hearing Loss
Even in pre-teens, audiologists can already diagnose some amount of hearing loss in 13% of instances. Obviously, someone who is 12 is not really “old”. Within 3 decades there has been a 33% rise in teen hearing loss.
What’s going on here?
2% of 45 – 55-year-olds and 8% of 55 – 64-year-olds presently have debilitating hearing loss.
The problem is not with getting old. It’s 100% possible to prevent, although the majority of people may think of it as an aging problem. And you have the ability to drastically minimize the progression of your hearing loss.
Age-related hearing loss, referred to medically as sensorineural hearing loss, is most frequently brought on by noise.
For decades hearing loss was believed to be inevitable as you get older. But presently, scientists are more knowledgeable about exactly how to safeguard your hearing and also restore it.
How Loud Noise Causes Hearing Loss
You need to appreciate that noise is not harmless if you desire to begin to safeguard your ears.
Sound is composed of waves of pressure. Going down into your ear these waves go past your eardrum and into the inner ear.
Tiny hair cells vibrate here within the inner ear. Which hair cells vibrate, and how quickly or frequently they vibrate, become a neurological code. Your brain can render this code into crowd noise, traffic sounds, a car horn, a scream or anything else you might hear.
The problem is that as sounds are too loud these little hairs are damaged beyond repair. They die because the vibrations get to be too strong for them to handle.
When these hairs are gone then so is your hearing.
Hearing Loss Caused by Loud Noise is not Reversible
If you cut your body, the injury will heal. But when you damage these tiny hair cells, they cannot heal, and they will not ever grow back again. Each and every time you are subjected to loud noise, a few more of these cells die.
Hearing loss advances as they die.
Hearing Damage can be Caused by Everyday Noises
Most people are surprised to learn that everyday activities can cause hearing loss. You may not question:
- 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 industry
- Hunting
- Being a musician
It’s not necessary to give up these activities. It is possible to lessen noise induced hearing loss by taking pro-active measures.
Don’t Permit Hearing Loss Make you Feel old
If you’re already suffering from hearing loss, acknowledging it doesn’t need to cause you to feel older. As a matter of fact, failing to acknowledge it can guarantee faster progression and difficulties that will certainly cause you to you feel a lot older in only a few short years such as:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s
- Increased Fall Risk
- Social Isolation
- More frequent trips to the ER
- Strained relationships
It’s a lot more common for people with neglected hearing loss to have problems with one or more of these.
Further Hearing Loss can be Avoided
Understanding how to avoid hearing loss is the first thing you should do.
- Discover how loud things truly are by using a sound meter app on your phone.
- Learn about dangerous volumes. More than 85 dB (decibels) will cause permanent hearing loss in just 8 hours. 110 dB takes about 15 minutes to cause irreversible hearing loss. 120 dB and higher results in immediate hearing loss. A gunshot is 140 to 170 dB.
- You should know that If you’ve ever had difficulty hearing for a short time following a concert, you already caused permanent damage to your hearing. It will become more pronounced as time goes by.
- Use earplugs and/or sound-dampening earmuffs when appropriate.
- Observe work hearing protection procedures.
- Limit your exposure time to loud sounds.
- Steer clear of standing near to loudspeakers or turning speakers up when at home.
- Get earbuds/headphones that come with built-in volume control. They never go higher 90 decibels. Most people would need to listen pretty much non-stop all the time to do irreversible damage.
- High blood pressure, not enough blood oxygen, and some medications tend to cause you to be more susceptible at lower volumes. To be sure, don’t ever listen to headphones at above 50%. Car speakers differ.
- Put on your hearing aid. Not wearing a hearing aid if you need them causes the brain to atrophy. It’s a lot like your leg muscles. If you stop walking, it will be much harder to walk.
Schedule a Hearing Test
Are you putting off on it or are in denial? Make the right decision now rather than later. The faster you make the smart decision the less damage you will keep doing.
Talk to Your Hearing Specialist Concerning Hearing Answers
There are no “normal cures” for hearing impairment. If hearing loss is severe, it may be time to purchase a hearing aid.
You Should way the Cost Against the Benefits of Buying Hearing Aids
Lots of people are either in denial about hearing loss, or, they decide to “tough it out.” They feel that hearing aids will make them seem old. Or they believe that they cost too much.
However as soon as they recognize that hearing loss will deteriorate faster and can cause several health and personal problems, it’s simple to see that the pros far outweigh the cons.
Call a hearing care specialist today about getting a hearing examination. And if hearing aids are suggested, don’t worry about “feeling old.” Hearing aids these days are much sleeker and more advanced than you may think!