It's a natural sign of ageing: one is three people over age 65 and half of those older than 85 have some hearing loss. But with ever more sophisticated technological advances, you can dramatically improve your hearing, no matter how old you are.
What is happening
The most common cause of hearing loss is a normal age-related condition called prebycusis, which is derived from the Greek or 'old hearing'. The ancient Greeks got it right: hearing often degenerates with age. A major contributing factor can be exposure to loud noises at work (jackhammers, jet engines) or play (loud music, fireworks). Former US President Bill Clinton (a saxophonist and rock-concert goer) began wearing hearing aids at age 51 after test confirmed he had lost the ability to hear some high
frequencies. But you don't have to attend countless concerts or noisy political rallies to lose your hearing. It can occur naturally, when receptor cells in the inner ear wear out over time. And there appears to be a genetic link, as hearing loss tends to run in families.
When you come right down to it, The Beach Boys summed it up pretty well: hearing is all about 'good vibrations'. Sound waves are vibrations that move through the air. once they enter the human ear, they go through the eardrum to the middle ear, where three tiny bones called the ossicles act as an amplifier. Once ushered into the inner ear, the vibrations move through a fluid in the snail-shaped hearing centre called the Cochlea, which contains tiny, specialised hair cells. The fluid stimulates these hair cells, which produce nerve impulses that are sent to the brain. Depending on how the fluid moves the hair cells, your brain is able to correctly interpret various sounds, such as distingushing vowels from consonants or differentiating between a dog barking, a baby crying or a spouse speaking.
LIKELY FIRST STEPS
Treatments
Seeing a doctor about your hearing loss is important because it could be masking another problem, and there's little you can do on your own to remedy the problem, except suffer in silence. You need to be
Treatment Options
LIFESTYLE CHANGES
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Avoid loud noises To preserve the hearing you have.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exercise Sedentary lifestyle is linked to hearing loss
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turn off background sound Makes it easier to hear.
MEDICATIONS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cerumenolytics Dissolve earwax.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Antibiotics Treat ear infections.
PROCEDURES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hearing aids For mild to profound hearing loss -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cochlear implants Help if hearing loss is profound.
checked for conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, both associated with hearing problems. If you get a clean bill of health, you may then be referred to an ear, nose and throat doctor (otolaryngologist) for specialised testing and a rundown of your treatment options. Or your doctor may recommend a hearing specialist (audiologist), who will measure your hearing loss and coduct a test to determine the type and degree of loss. An audiologist can also fit you with a hearing aid. Although such devices are undeniably pricey,most people end up delighted as the world of sound is restored. In certain cases, surgery may be recommended. Some causes of hearing loss can be corrected: removing excess earwax (see page next) can make a difference. And treating hearing problems related to virus or bacteria or to allergies using proper medications can also bring your hearing back to normal.
Although you may not be able to gain back the hearing capacity you've lost, you can take steps to keep what you have and use it to your best advantage. The following may be helpful:
Prolonged exposure to sound levels above 75 decibels is considered potentially harmful to your hearing. Compare these common decibel levels:
What is happening
The most common cause of hearing loss is a normal age-related condition called prebycusis, which is derived from the Greek or 'old hearing'. The ancient Greeks got it right: hearing often degenerates with age. A major contributing factor can be exposure to loud noises at work (jackhammers, jet engines) or play (loud music, fireworks). Former US President Bill Clinton (a saxophonist and rock-concert goer) began wearing hearing aids at age 51 after test confirmed he had lost the ability to hear some high
frequencies. But you don't have to attend countless concerts or noisy political rallies to lose your hearing. It can occur naturally, when receptor cells in the inner ear wear out over time. And there appears to be a genetic link, as hearing loss tends to run in families.
When you come right down to it, The Beach Boys summed it up pretty well: hearing is all about 'good vibrations'. Sound waves are vibrations that move through the air. once they enter the human ear, they go through the eardrum to the middle ear, where three tiny bones called the ossicles act as an amplifier. Once ushered into the inner ear, the vibrations move through a fluid in the snail-shaped hearing centre called the Cochlea, which contains tiny, specialised hair cells. The fluid stimulates these hair cells, which produce nerve impulses that are sent to the brain. Depending on how the fluid moves the hair cells, your brain is able to correctly interpret various sounds, such as distingushing vowels from consonants or differentiating between a dog barking, a baby crying or a spouse speaking.
LIKELY FIRST STEPS
- A physical examination to find the cause of hearing loss.
- Avoiding loud noises that can further damage hearing.
- A hearing aid to amplify sounds.
- Medications to treat any ailments that may impairyour hearing.
- Could any of the medications I'm taking for other conditions cause hearing loss?
- Why do I have so much earwax?
- Is there a hearing aid that corrects only the pitch I can't hear?
- Would cochlear implant surgery correct my hearing condition?
Treatments
Seeing a doctor about your hearing loss is important because it could be masking another problem, and there's little you can do on your own to remedy the problem, except suffer in silence. You need to be
Treatment Options
LIFESTYLE CHANGES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avoid loud noises To preserve the hearing you have.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exercise Sedentary lifestyle is linked to hearing loss
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turn off background sound Makes it easier to hear.
MEDICATIONS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cerumenolytics Dissolve earwax.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Antibiotics Treat ear infections.
PROCEDURES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hearing aids For mild to profound hearing loss -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cochlear implants Help if hearing loss is profound.
checked for conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, both associated with hearing problems. If you get a clean bill of health, you may then be referred to an ear, nose and throat doctor (otolaryngologist) for specialised testing and a rundown of your treatment options. Or your doctor may recommend a hearing specialist (audiologist), who will measure your hearing loss and coduct a test to determine the type and degree of loss. An audiologist can also fit you with a hearing aid. Although such devices are undeniably pricey,most people end up delighted as the world of sound is restored. In certain cases, surgery may be recommended. Some causes of hearing loss can be corrected: removing excess earwax (see page next) can make a difference. And treating hearing problems related to virus or bacteria or to allergies using proper medications can also bring your hearing back to normal.
TAKING CONTROL
- Are you eligible for a government-subsidised hearing aid? In Australia, if you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident under age 21 or if you are a pensioner a veteran or receive a sickness allowance from Centerlink, you are eligible for a voucher that will enable you to access susbidised hearing services and, if necessary, a hearing aid.
- Make hearing loss prevention of your job. Many people are exposed to dangerous noise levels in the workplace. If your work around loud noises, wear earplugs or earmuffs. The National Occupational Health and Safety Committee (NOHSC) in Australia and the OccupationaL Saftey and Health Service of the Dept of Labour (OSHSDL) in New Zealand have information on hearing loss prevention programs for all workplaces with dangerous noise levels.
Although you may not be able to gain back the hearing capacity you've lost, you can take steps to keep what you have and use it to your best advantage. The following may be helpful:
- Avoid loud noises. If you go to a noisy concert or sporting event, use earplugs. They won't keep you from hearing what's going on, they'll just keep the dangerous decibel levels from damaging your ears. The same goes for any time you're around loud noises, such as construction and even traffic (see box noises)
- Exercise. Consider the following: researchers from the University of Wisconsin looked at 1600 people between ages 52 and 97 and found that those who exercised were 32 percent less likely to have impaired hearing than those who didn't. Moreover, those with cardiovascular disease (sometimes fuelled by a sedentary lifestyle) were 54 percent more likely to have hearing loss.
- Give up cigarettes. a Japanese study examined 1554 men working at the same company and found that those who smoked were more than twice as likely to have hearing loss as those who didn't.
KNOW YOUR NOISES
Prolonged exposure to sound levels above 75 decibels is considered potentially harmful to your hearing. Compare these common decibel levels:
- Whisper: 20
- Refrigerator humming: 40
- Normal Conservation: 60
- City traffic: 80
- Lawn mower, motorcycle: 90
- Timber shop noise: 100
- Chainsaw: 110
- Rock concert; 140
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