Hearing is a very important sense for human beings. It helps us communicate with others. It helps us share a lot of information. Hearing is of paramount importance for the smooth functioning of our brain and hence overall body. Unfortunately, most of us have to deal with hearing loss at some point of time during our lifetime. It can happen in any age group. For example, in the U.S. alone, 30 million people could be suffering from hearing loss, although most of them may not be aware of it. A majority of them are those in the working-age group. This blog talks about What are the most common causes of hearing loss.
Types of Hearing Loss
1) Conductive hearing loss: This particular issue prevents sound from traveling from the outer ear via the middle ear and into the inner ear. As a result, you might require greater force or volume to hear a sound.
- Causes – Ear infections, allergies, aberrant middle ear bone growth, perforated eardrums, excessive ear wax, and fluid buildup from colds are common causes.
- Treatments – Both conventional and contemporary hearing aids work well to correct it. This sort of hearing loss can also be treated with current technology. These remedies include bone-attached hearing aids, middle ear transplants, and bone conduction hearing aids
2) Sensorineural Hearing Loss – The most prevalent form is sensorineural. It has to do with the auditory nerve or an issue with the inner ear. With sensorineural hearing loss, it is challenging for you to transmit nerve signals to your brain, which makes it challenging to discern the loudness and quality of sounds.
- Causes – It can be inherited or acquired through exposure to loud, piercing noises. Other causes include traumatic injuries, drug side effects, ear diseases, aging-related decline, and more.
- Treatments – The injured auditory nerve cannot be completely repaired. The damaged small hair-like cells in your inner ear cannot be fixed, not even with medical or surgical intervention. This issue may be helped by therapies like cochlear implants or hearing aids. The answer will depend on how severe the hearing loss is determined to be.
3) Mixed Hearing Loss – It is obvious from the name that it combines conductive and sensorineural elements. In this case, you can have damage to the auditory nerve or outer, middle, or inner ear. You might have mixed hearing loss and it is advisable to seek hearing aid specialist assistance right away if you are exhibiting symptoms that lead to these two sorts of diseases.
- Causes – This hearing problem can be caused by conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, active ear infections, and other hearing loss-related conditions.
- Treatments – The best course of action will depend on whether sensorineural or conductive components are more prevalent. Medical and surgical methods are appropriate choices if conductive factors are the predominant cause. Hearing aids and implanted hearing devices are good options if the hearing loss is primarily in the sensorineural components.
Most Common Causes of Hearing Loss
The following are some of the most typical reasons for hearing loss:
- Prolonged contact with noise
- Parasitic infections (such as measles or mumps)
- Buildup of wax
- Medication ototoxicity (drugs that harm hearing)
- Acoustic neuroma
- Autoimmune inner ear disease
- Ménière’s disease
At any moment during your lifetime, hearing loss is possible. You can gain from having your hearing evaluated by a hearing care specialist, regardless of the reason for your hearing loss.
You may like to read: What Happens When Hearing Loss Goes Untreated?
What can be Done to Prevent Hearing Loss?
Although you can eventually get used to loud noises, your brain and ears cannot. It’s possible to progressively lose your hearing and not realize it until the damage is irreparable. Here are some hearing recommendations so you can start protecting your hearing right away.
- Wear earplugs – Foam earplugs or earmuffs that have been specifically made to muffle noise are affordable and simple to use. Wearing them can help prevent hearing loss if your workplace has constant noise levels throughout the day. If leaving the area is not an option, take regular breaks away from the noise to give your ears a respite.
- Lower the loudness – Turn down the volume of the television, radio, or streaming device if you have to shout to be heard. Don’t use these things to block out background noise. It’s probably too loud if you’re wearing headphones and the person sitting next to you can hear it.
- Adhere to the 60:60 Rule – Enjoy 60 minutes a day of hearing music at no more than 60% of its full density. Many Bluetooth-enabled streaming gadgets offer a smart volume feature that allows you to control the volume.
- Purchase noise-canceling earbuds – By eliminating background noise, noise-canceling headphones help you hear audio, movies, and voice calls more clearly. You can use a lower volume and rest your ears as a result.
- During music concerts, put on ear safeguards – Between 15 and 35 dB can be reduced with earplugs and muffs. If you forget them or leave home without any, many events sell them on-site. Once there, stay away from the speakers and the area where the fireworks are launched. The loud noise might easily inflict harm.
- At work, wear ear protection – Working in a noisy setting can damage your hearing and possibly have a detrimental effect on your general health. To lessen the noise, inquire. Request hearing protection if necessary.
- Never insert anything into your ear – Don’t put anything shorter than your elbow in your ear. That is the basic rule of thumb. This applies to anything you may use to itch or clean your ears, such as cotton buds, paper clips, hair clips, keys, or other small objects.
- Reduce the vehicle’s volume – The likelihood of harming the hair cells in your ears increases if you are playing loud audio in a small area. Reduce the volume once the windows are shut. Traveling with the windows open may make you want to feel the wind in your hair, but the noise it makes can damage your hearing. It is preferable to keep the window up when traveling quickly.
- Move forward – Workout maintains the blood circulating to your ears and throughout the rest of the body. The interior components of the ears can remain healthy and the oxygen levels high with good circulation. Give your ears a break after class if you take workout classes.
- Do not use earbuds – Earbuds don’t perform as good a job of isolating background noise as classic earmuff-style headphones while being less noticeable. You might be tempted to turn up the volume as a result, which can harm your hearing. If implanted too deeply or for too long, headphones may also hurt your ears.
In the end
At Tri-County Hearing Services, we’re always looking forward to offering our customers the best hearing services. Moreover, help them understand what they can do to make sure they don’t experience any hearing loss. We hope you’ve enjoyed this article on the most common causes of hearing loss, and if you think there’s anything else we can add to this article, please feel free to contact us anytime. If you are experiencing any difficulty hearing in your daily life, contact our audiologist to learn more about the treatments for hearing loss. Moreover, learn about the different kinds of hearing aids available for them.