No matter your hearing status – whether you currently use hearing aids, suspect you may have hearing loss, or have perfectly healthy ears – you can vow to fight hearing loss and protect your hearing. Everyday tasks and favorite hobbies can take a toll on your hearing.
According to 2023 statistics from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), Approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) ages 18 and over report some trouble hearing, and about one in three people in the U.S. between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss. Nearly half of those older than 75 have difficulty hearing.
Though age is a factor, noise-induced hearing loss among people of all ages has become concerning. More than five million children in the U.S. between the ages of 6 and 19 are affected by hearing loss caused by loud noises. This could be due to extremely loud toys, exposure to loud music through earbuds, or recreation activities like hunting or riding snowmobiles, for example.
Prevention
If you don’t have hearing loss, it might not be easy to imagine its impact on your quality of life. But even a minor hearing loss, left uncorrected, can lead to a lack of confidence, damaged relationships, limited career opportunities, difficulty hearing conversations, and feeling left out – all of which can lead to social withdrawal and depression.
Also, hearing loss can impact safety. If you have hearing loss, you might not hear smoke alarms or approaching traffic, for example.
One of the most common types of hearing loss is noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), which is almost completely preventable. While you have healthy hearing, do your best to Protect your ears from excessive noise every chance you get.
1. Protect your ears
We often unintentionally expose ourselves to noisy situations without protection. Here are some everyday activities and times when you could be putting your hearing health at risk:
- Mowing the lawn
- Attending a rock concert
- Walking near heavy traffic
- Setting off or watching fireworks
- Attending sporting events
- Using a saw
- Shooting a gun
- Listening to music that is too loud, either via car radio or through headphones or earbuds
- Being near a construction site
- Riding a motorcycle or going snowmobiling
Sound is measured by decibels, and being exposed to sounds above 85 decibels is potentially damaging to hearing. All of the above sounds are much higher than 85 decibels. If you’re unsure how loud it is, do the “lawnmower test.” If you think the sounds you are exposed to are as loud – or louder than – a lawnmower, it’s important to protect your ears and limit how long you are exposed to the noises. You can also use the technology of your smartphone to help you measure the loudness of your environment with several easy-to-use aps.
2. Give up smoking
This is one time that being a quitter will make you a winner. Mounting research suggests that smoking leads to an increased risk of hearing loss. Smoking causes constrictions in your blood vessels, disrupting circulation and cutting off oxygen to certain parts of the body. This can prevent the body from being able to repair damaged hair cells in the ear, leading to permanent hearing damage.
Additionally, according to a 2018 Newsweek article, secondhand smoke can increase the risk of ear infections in children. Children who have had more ear infections are at a higher risk of hearing problems. Hearing is important for language development and learning, and if these impairments are not caught and reversed early on, they could interfere with a child’s ability to learn.
Smoking
Nicotine restricts blood flow to the ears, potentially damaging delicate ear cells.
Nicotine restricts blood flow to the ears, potentially damaging delicate ear cells. The more you smoke, the greater the risk for damage–not only your hearing but also the hearing of the people you love most. Studies show that adolescents exposed to secondhand smoke were almost twice as likely to experience low-frequency hearing loss as those who had no exposure.
The same goes for vaping. E-cigarettes that contain nicotine have a similar impact on the ear’s hair cells as smoking does. And the flavored fluids, or “e juices,” contain hundreds of chemicals with unknown health impacts. At least one, propylene glycol, is linked to sudden hearing loss.
3. excessive drinking
A lifetime of over-indulging can damage more than your liver. Health experts believe that alcohol may interfere with the brain’s ability to interpret sound especially sounds in the lower frequencies, and create a toxic environment in the inner ear itself that is damaging to the hair cells of the cochlea. The central auditory cortex of the brain may actually shrink in people who drink excessively, meaning that the nerve that is responsible for processing sound is negatively impacted.
4. Not taking care of your teeth
It seems odd to think that taking good care of your teeth can actually benefit your hearing, but it’s true. When your teeth and gums are healthy, your mouth is free from the bacteria that can cause infections and swelling. When oral bacteria enter the bloodstream, they can cause inflammation and narrowing of the arteries, and poor circulation is detrimental to hearing health.
5. Ignoring hearing loss
Last but certainly not least: Many people go years before seeking help for hearing loss, partly due to the stigma of wearing hearing aids. But this has long-term health impacts—when your brain isn’t hearing all the noises it used to, you’re at higher risk of cognitive decline, including dementia.
That’s why, above all else, if you suspect you have hearing loss, schedule an appointment with a hearing care practitioner right away.
Know the signs
If you know the signs of hearing loss, you may be more likely to get your ears checked and encourage others showing the symptoms to get their hearing checked.
- Having trouble following a conversation, especially when two or more people are speaking at once
- It is straining to hear when there is background noise
- Difficulty talking on the telephone
- Misunderstanding what others say and responding inappropriately
- Difficulty hearing and understanding women’s and children’s voices
- Often asking people to repeat themselves
- Struggling to listen to the TV even when turning the volume up higher than is comfortable for others
If you are missing out on the joys of life, call certified audiologist Dr. Joe Grffith today at 504-738-4557. You are just a phone call away from the hearing help you need and deserve.
