Hearing loss that develops gradually as you age (presbycusis) is quite common. Hearing impairment affects nearly half of Indian over 65.
The term “hearing loss” refers to any of three kinds:
- Conductive (involves middle and outer ear)
- Sensorineural (involves the inner ear)
- Mixed (combination of two)
Hearing loss can occur as a result of aging and constant exposure to loud noises. Other causes, like excessive Earwax, can temporarily affect how well your ears process sound.
It is impossible to reverse all kinds of loss of hearing. But you and your physician or nearest hearing aid centre can do things to improve the quality of what you hear.
Table of Contents
The signs and symptoms of Hearing loss
It is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Noise mufflers and speech mufflers
- It is difficult to comprehend words, particularly during background noise or in a crowd.
- Problems hearing consonants
- Often, people ask others to speak slower in a clear and clear voice.
- Your radio or television volume needs to be increased.
- Refrain from speaking to others
- The avoidance of certain social situations
When should you see a doctor for Hearing loss?
If you notice sudden deafness, especially in one ear area, seek urgent medical treatment.
Consult your physician If you are experiencing difficulty hearing aid centre near me, which can be a problem in your daily routine. Hearing loss as we age occurs slowly, and you might not be aware of it until later. Do you have hearing concerns that need to be addressed? Contact Cary Audiology to schedule a consultation with an experienced audiologist in Southwest Raleigh, NC.
The Reasons
To better understand how it happens, it is helpful to learn how you hear.
What do you can you tell
Your ear comprises three distinct areas: the middle ear, the outer ear, and the inner ear. Sound waves travel throughout the outer part of the ear, causing vibrations in the eardrum. When sound waves travel through the middle ear, the eardrum and the three bones amplify them. In the inner ear, the vibrations travel through the fluid, which forms an ear-shaped snail in the ear’s inner part (cochlea).
Connected to nerve cells within the cochlea are thousands of tiny hairs that translate sounds into electrical signals transferred into your brain. The brain transforms these signals into sound.
How can hearing loss be caused?
The causes of hearing loss are:
- The inside of the auditory canal. Aging and exposure to loud sounds may result in wear and tear on the nerve cells and hairs within the cochlea, which transmit audio signals into the brain. When the nerve cells or hairs are damaged or absent, they don’t transmit electrical signals in the same way, and hearing loss may occur.
- High-pitched tones can be silenced for you. It might not be easy to distinguish words from background sounds.
- The gradual accumulation of Earwax. Earwax can block the ear’s canal and hinder the transmission to sound. Removal of Earwax can aid in restoring your hearing.
- Ear infections and bone growths that are abnormal and cancers. All of them could result in loss of listening power in the outer or middle ear.
- Eardrum ruptured (tympanic perforation of the membrane). Loud blasts of sound, abrupt changes in pressure, or poking your eardrum with objects and infections could cause your eardrums to rupture, affecting your listening power.
Risk factors
Some of the factors that can cause damage or loss of hairs and nerve cells that line your ear’s inner ear are:
- Ageing. Degeneration of inner structures in the ear develops over time.
- Loud sound. Exposure to loud sounds may damage the cells in your ear inner. Damage may occur from prolonged exposure to loud sounds or a brief burst of sound, for example, shooting.
- The concept of heredity. Your genetic makeup could make you more prone to hearing damage caused by hearing or the effects of the aging process.
- Noises from work. Jobs, where loud noise is an everyday element of work like construction, farming or factory work, can cause injuries to the ear.
- Recreational sounds. Exposure to explosive sounds like jet engines and firearms could cause immediate and permanent loss listening capacity. Other leisure activities with dangerously loud levels include motorcycling, snowmobiling, carpentry, or listening to loud music.
- Certain medications. Drugs such as the antibiotic sildenafil, gentamicin (Viagra), and certain chemotherapy drugs can harm the inner ear. Temporary hearing loss (ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or loss of hearing may occur when you take very large doses of aspirin, other medications for pain relief, antimalarials and loop diuretics.
- Certain diseases. Diseases or illnesses that cause high fever like meningitis could cause damage to the cochlea.
Complications
The loss of hearing can significantly impact your quality of life. People who are older and have hearing loss can experience feelings of depression. Since losing hearing makes communication difficult for some, they may feel isolated. Cognitive decline and impairment are also associated with hearing loss.
The mechanisms of interaction between hearing loss and depression, cognitive impairment and isolation are being studied. The initial research indicates that dealing with hearing loss may benefit cognitive performance, specifically memory.
Prevention
The steps below can help you to prevent hearing loss due to noise and prevent an increase in the severity of hearing loss due to age:
- Keep your ears safe. Limiting the duration and intensity to which you are exposed to loud sounds is the best way to protect yourself. When working, you can use plastic Earplugs or glycerin-filled earmuffs that could assist in protecting your ears from the noise that can cause damage to your ears.
- Test your listening power. Consider regular ear tests for those who work in a noisy area. If you’ve lost some of your hearing, it is possible to take steps to avoid any further loss.
- Be aware of the risks that recreational activities pose. Activities such as driving a snowmobile, hunting, using power tools, and listening to rock music could cause listening loss. Wearing audio protection and taking breaks from sound can shield your ears. Lowering the volume of music can be helpful as well.