Growing up into adulthood, you likely started to connect hearing loss with getting old. You likely had older adults around you struggling to comprehend words or wearing hearing aids.
But in the same way as 30 or 60 only seemed old to you until it started to catch up to you, as you learn more about hearing loss, you find it has less to do with getting old and much more to do with something else.
You need to realize this one thing: It doesn’t mean that you’re old just because you admit you have hearing loss.
Hearing Loss is an “Any Age Issue”
In 13% of cases, audiologists can already detect hearing loss by age 12. Needless to say, your not “old” when you’re 12. In the past 30 years, hearing loss in teenagers has gone up by 33 %.
What’s the reason for this?
2% of 45 – 55-year-olds and 8% of 55 – 64 year-olds already have debilitating hearing loss.
It’s not an aging problem. You can 100% prevent what is generally considered “age related hearing loss”. And decreasing its development is well within your power.
Age-related hearing loss, clinically known as sensorineural hearing loss, is most commonly a result of noise.
Hearing loss was, for many years, thought to be an inevitable part of aging. But safeguarding and even restoring your hearing is well within the scope of modern science.
How Hearing Loss is Triggered by Noise
Learning how noise causes hearing loss is step one in protecting hearing.
Sound is made up of waves. The canal of your ear receives these waves. They go past your eardrum into your inner ear.
Inside your inner ear are very small hair cells that oscillate when sound impacts them. Which hair cells oscillate, and how rapidly or frequently they vibrate, becomes a signal in the brain. Your brain then translates this code into sound.
But when the inner ear receives sounds that are too intense, these hair cells vibrate too rapidly. This level of sound damages these hairs and they will eventually fail.
Without them, you won’t be able to hear.
Noise-Activated Hearing Loss is Permanent, Here’s Why
Wounds such as cuts or broken bones will heal. But these little hair cells don’t grow back or heal. The more often you’re subjected to loud sounds, the more tiny hair cells die.
As they do, hearing loss worsens.
Common Noises That Damage Hearing
Many people are shocked to learn that daily activities can lead to hearing loss. You might not think twice about:
- Using head phones/earbuds
- Lawn mowing
- Being a musician
- Going to a concert/play/movies
- Working in a factory or other loud profession
- Hunting
- Running farm equipment
- Cranking up the car stereo
- Riding a snowmobile/motorcycle
- Driving on a busy highway with the windows or top down
You don’t have to quit these things. Fortunately, you can take protective actions to limit noise-induced hearing loss.
How to be Certain That You Don’t “Feel” Older When You Have Hearing Loss
Admitting you have hearing loss, if you’re already dealing with it, doesn’t have to make you feel old. As a matter of fact, you will feel older a lot sooner if you fail to recognize your hearing loss because of complications like:
- Increased Fall Risk
- Anxiety
- More frequent trips to the ER
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s
- Depression
- Social Isolation
- Strained relationships
For people with neglected hearing loss these are substantially more common.
Prevent Further Hearing Injury
Begin by understanding how to prevent hearing loss.
- So that you can find out how loud things really are, get a sound meter app.
- Determine when volumes get harmful. Over 85 dB (decibels) can lead to irreversible hearing loss in 8 hours. Permanent hearing loss, at 110 dB, happens in over 15 minutes. 120 dB and over results in instantaneous hearing loss. 140 to 170 dB is the average volume of a gunshot.
- Realize that you’ve already triggered irreversible hearing damage each time you’ve had a difficult time hearing right after going to a concert. It will become more obvious with time.
- Wear earplugs and/or sound-dampening earmuffs when necessary.
- Implement work hearing protection rules.
- Limit your exposure time to loud sounds.
- Standing too close to loudspeakers is a poor idea in any setting.
- Get earbuds/headphones that have integrated volume control. They have a 90 dB limit. At that level, even nonstop, all day listening wouldn’t cause hearing damage for most individuals.
- High blood pressure, low blood oxygen, and some medications can make you more vulnerable at lower volumes. Always keep your headphones at or below 50%. Car speakers will fluctuate and a volume meter app will help but regarding headphones, no louder than 50% is best policy.
- If you have a hearing aid, wear it. The brain will start to atrophy if you don’t use your hearing aid when you need it. It’s similar to your leg muscles. If you let them go, it will be difficult to get them back.
Have a Hearing Exam
Are you in denial or just procrastinating? Stop it. Be active about reducing further damage by acknowledging your situation.
Consult Your Hearing Specialist About Solutions For Your Hearing.
There aren’t any “natural cures” for hearing loss. It may 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 Advantages
Lots of individuals who do recognize their hearing loss simply decide to deal with it. They don’t want people to think they are old because they have hearing aids. Or they think they cost too much.
But when they realize that hearing loss will worsen faster and can cause many relationship and health challenges, it’s easy to recognize that the pros well surpass the cons.
Speak with a hearing care expert right away about getting a hearing test. And you don’t have to be concerned that you appear old if you wind up requiring hearing aids. Hearing aids at present are significantly sleeker and more advanced than you may think!