As we age we tend to think that hearing loss only affects the older generation. Many of us have experience with older people trying to understand conversations, or utilizing hearing aids.

As you grow up, you begin to understand that there is an additional cause of hearing loss in addition to aging.

Many people are afraid to admit they have hearing loss because it makes them feel like they are getting old.

Hearing Loss Is an “Any Age Problem”

Even in pre-teens, audiologists can already diagnose some amount of hearing loss in 13% of instances. You’ll recognize, this is not because 12-year-olds are “old”. Teen hearing loss has gone up 33% in the past 30 years.

What’s at work here?

Out of all 45 – 55-year olds, 2% currently suffer from debilitating hearing loss, and with 55 – 65-year-olds it’s 8%.

It’s not an aging problem. What you might consider age-associated hearing loss is actually totally preventable. Appreciably minimizing your hearing loss is within reach.

Age-related hearing loss, referred to medically as sensorineural hearing loss, is most commonly caused by noise.

For a long time people have assumed that hearing loss was just part of the aging process. But thanks to innovative science we understand substantially more concerning hearing loss prevention and also hearing restoration.

How Hearing Loss is Caused by Loud Noise

The initial step to taking care of your hearing is understanding how something as “innocent” as noise causes hearing loss.

Sound is made up of waves of pressure. Going down into your ear these waves go past your eardrum and into the inner ear.

Here, tiny hair cells in your inner ear resonate. Which hair cells vibrate, and how fast or frequently they vibrate, become a neurological code. This code will be translated by your brain into the sound of crickets, someone shouting for assistance, a waterfall, or any other sound which may be around.

But at the time the inner ear is subjected to sounds that are too loud, these hair cells vibrate too quickly. They die because the vibrations become too strong for them to handle.

When these hairs are lost then so is your hearing.

Why Noise-Related Hearing Loss is Irreversible

If you cut your hand, the injury will heal. But when you harm these tiny hair cells, they don’t heal, and they never ever come back. The more frequently you’re subjected to loud sounds, the more of these tiny hair cells you lose.

As they die, hearing loss progresses.

Common Noises That Can Cause Hearing Damage

This is a surprising fact for most people to find out. It’s easy to overlook:

• 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 manufacturing plant or other loud profession
• Hunting
• Being a musician

These activities don’t need to be abandoned. Fortunately, you can take positive steps to reduce noise-related hearing loss.

How to Stop Hearing Loss From Making You “Feel” old

If you’re already suffering from hearing loss, admitting it doesn’t have to cause you to feel older. Actually, failing to admit it can doom you to faster progression and complications that will certainly cause you to you feel much older in just a few years including:

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

For people with untreated hearing loss, these are significantly more likely.

Stop Further Hearing Problems

Understanding how to protect against hearing loss is the first thing you should do.

1. Determine how loud everyday sounds actually are by using a sound meter app on your phone.
2. Learn about dangerous volumes. Above 85 dB (decibels) can cause irreversible hearing loss in just 8 hours. 110 dB takes about 15 minutes to cause irreversible hearing loss. 120 dB and above causes instant hearing loss. A gunshot is around 140 to 170 dB.
3. Know that If you’ve ever had trouble hearing briefly following a concert, you already caused permanent damage to your hearing. It will become more pronounced as time goes by.
4. Wear earplugs or maybe sound-dampening earmuffs when appropriate.
5. Follow workplace hearing protection regulations.
6. Minimize your exposure time to loud sounds.
7. Refrain from standing close to loudspeakers or cranking speakers up when listening at home.
8. Buy earbuds/headphones that come with integrated volume control. These never go higher 90 decibels. Most people would need to listen pretty much non-stop all the time to cause permanent damage.
9. High blood pressure, not enough blood oxygen, and some medications can cause you to be more susceptible at lower volumes. To be sure, never listen to headphones at over 50%. Car speakers vary.
10. Put on your hearing aid. Not using a hearing aid if you require them causes the brain to atrophy. It’s a lot like your leg muscles. If you stop walking, it gets much harder to walk.

Schedule a Hearing Appointment

Are you in denial or procrastinating on it? Stop it. The sooner you make the wise decision the less damage you will keep doing.

Consult Your Hearing Specialist About Hearing Solutions

There are not any “normal cures” for hearing damage. If you have extreme hearing loss, it’s time for a hearing aid.

Do a Cost-Benefit Evaluation of Hearing Aids

Many sufferers are either in denial about hearing loss, or maybe, they make the decision to “tough it out.” They presume hearing aids will make them seem old. Or maybe they think they are too expensive.

However when they realize that hearing loss will deteriorate faster and can cause numerous health and relationship difficulties, it’s simple to be certain that the pros greatly outweigh the cons.

Consult a hearing care expert today about getting a hearing evaluation. And if hearing aids are needed, don’t worry about “feeling old.” Hearing aids nowadays are much more streamlined and more sophisticated than you probably think!