NIDCD stated that twenty-six million Americans aged twenty to sixty-nine develop hearing loss during leisure activities and loud noise at work. At any age, hearing loss can affect you.
Types of hearing loss
Ranging from profound to mild hearing loss is the loss of hearing in both or one year. The hearing loss problem is not only for older people; it can be developed at any age. But the odds of developing this loss increase with age.
There are different types of hearing loss :
Conductive: This type of hearing loss would happen when the middle ear or outer ear cannot bring sound to the inner ear.
Sensorineural: When the brain, inner ear do not detect sound waves or auditory nerve normally, this hearing loss occurs.
Mixed hearing loss:-
A mixed situation of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss is considered a mixed hearing loss.
As the signs of hearing loss are difficult and typically subtle to notice, it is important to understand them briefly.
Painful sound
Car horns and rumbling subways can be irritating and loud, but the sound should not be painful. If you feel pain in your ear while hearing this noise, this could be a sign of hearing loss. The ear is less able to dampen loud sounds when the person loses his hearing power.
It's impossible to describe the pain, but it's somewhere between a dull ache and a sharp shooting pain. Hyperacusis is the technical term for this. It's better to talk to a professional if it becomes intolerable or continues for a long period.
Balance problems
Your balance and hearing are linked intricately. Clumsiness not to be blamed if someone notices stumbling more often. It could be a sign of hearing loss. People spend so much inputs trying to hear the simple things because the balance is getting less attention from the brain.
Help to balance; the inner ear sends a message to the brain. Any damage to the ear can make someone a bit off-kilter. A study revealed that a person with hearing loss was more likely to have a history of falling, depending on the degree of loss.
Ringing or buzzing in the ear
One of the earliest signs of hearing loss is buzzing and ringing in the ear that comes and goes. You may feel to hear a low-level ringing and buzzing sound in your ear when it's quiet. You have damaged your ear if you feel this more constantly and frequently.
The harm in nerve cells in the ear is insignificant and short-term if it transpired a couple of times. But if it is one-time exposure or continual exposure to a very loud voice, it could produce damage and hearing loss. You can talk to your doctor and use the earplug so that it can avoid additional injury.
Impairment memory
According to research, people with hearing loss have more chance of impairment memory than normal people. In keeping memory and the brain sharp, hearing plays a crucial role. If the ear cannot pick up sound properly, only a few signals go to the brain.
And the brain has to do overload work to figure out the proper sound which ears are not getting properly; it means the brain has to decode the sound, and if the brain has to do hard work, it doesn't store the content in the memory. So if you were seeing this silent sign or observing it, then you must visit the doctor.
Listening exhaustion
People with hearing loss spend half of the day figuring out the meaning of half-heard sentences and words and replying to the questions they didn't fully hear. You don't figure this sign in a quiet setting or during a person-to-person discussion in the early stage of hearing loss.
More commonly, you notice this sign when you are in a big group discussion or a crowded place. If you feel extremely exhausted at the end of the day, then hearing loss has to blame.
How to prevent hearing loss?
Now if you are suffering from any of the above hearing loss, here are tips to prevent hearing loss.
Limit noisy sounds
You can't avoid the jackhammer on the street corner or the sound of an ambulance alarm. But it's best to reduce the amount of time you spend around it. This kind of loss is the result of how lengthy you hear sound and its loudness.
Wearing Hearing shield
Wear proper hearing protection if you will be around heavy sounds for a considerable time. You can wear fantastic hearing shields like:
Earmuffs:
Earmuffs can reduce sound by about fifteen to thirty decibels. To block sound, they have to fit tightly over their ears. Earmuffs will fit entirely over the ears.
Earplugs are made up of rubber or form that can easily go in-ear canal and reduce sound by fifteen to thirty decibels. This instrument is useful for the people who have to be around the music like musicians but have ear problems. Across all frequencies, earplugs can lower noise levels.
For greater protection, you may also wear both earmuffs and earplugs together.
Properly remove earwax
You will feel a muffled sound if there is a development of wax in your ear. Using a cotton ball, you push it deeper into your ear, which will cause a problem in the future. Instead of a cotton swab, a home irrigation kit is great for washing the wax by softening it gently. You have to make an appointment if the wax is firmly present in your ear.
Check medication
Medication can damage hearing; it includes drugs that fight cancer and antibiotics; even your ear can harm a high dose of aspirin. Make sure to talk to the doctor about the side effects of medicines before starting them.
Be a quiet enforcer.
Buy devices and appliances that have a low sound rating. And if it's too much loud in the restaurants, movie theater, or any other place, ask the authorities to turn it down.
Avoid smoking
Due to smoking, hearing loss can occur. If you don't smoke, then avoid secondhand smoke. Smoking has a wide range of side effects in which ear problems such as hearing loss are also reasons.
Hearing test
Make sure to get an appointment for a hearing test if you have a relative close who has a hearing loss problem, has trouble hearing the conversation, hearing ringing in the ear, or being mostly in a loud noise place. If you have felt a sudden change while hearing in your day-to-day activities, them must go to the doctor and have your ear hearing test.
Treatment of hearing loss
For hearing loss, many new treatments are there by using advances in technology and medicines. among them all choosing the best one for you is a difficult task and needs a good knowledge about that some of best treatments for hearing loss are:-
Removable aids
This aids helps in making sounds louder and make them easier for the inner ear to pick up. It could be typically either digital or analog.
Analog hearing aids
These make sound louder by converting sound into electrical signals. It can be easily programmed in different environments like a crowded restaurant or a small room.
Digital hearing aids
These convert sound into code numbers and then change it back into sound; you can only use this at the frequencies where you have hearing loss. These devices give more flexibility than analog aids.
Both these aids come in different models according to the level of hearing loss.
Surgically implanted devices
To send more sound vibrations to the inner ear, doctors usually put some hearing technologies inside the ear. Doctor implants various devices according to the need of a person in the ear to make his hearing sound good. Various types of implanted surgeries are available, which are:-
Middle ear implant:
In one of the ear's bones, the surgeon attaches a device that moves them directly and sends sound vibrations to the ear. This implant helps people with sensorineural hearing loss. It is a new implanted surgery, so you must go to a doctor with good experience.
Cochlear implants:
If severe damage is detected in the internal ear, even the powerful aid cannot restore it. In that condition, the doctor recommends a cochlear implant.
In this surgery, the doctor overlooks the disturbing part of the ear and delivers signals directly to the hearing nerve to relay sound to your brain. Behind the ear, microphones are attached, and the transmitter goes under the skin. Sound goes to electrodes that the doctor put in the inner ear during surgery.
Conclusion
Hearing issues have become common over these years. Due to the increasing noise pollution worldwide (because of industrialization, increased vehicles), many people need to use hearing aids. One needs to identify auditory problems at the right time. If these are overlooked, your hearing issue may increase and lead to permanent ear damage. We have mentioned the major signs in this article. If you read it thoroughly, we are sure it'll help.