It is inevitable that hearing loss (presbycusis) will gradually happen as you age. The National Institute of Health estimates at least one-third of all the people in the U.S. between 65 and 75 and older have some degree of hearing loss. Heredity and chronic exposure to loud noises are the primary reasons hearing is lost. You may also have earwax blockages and infections that can prevent your ears from conducting sounds. Hearing loss usually cannot be reversed, but you don” ™t have to live in a muted world. Take advantage of the hearing aid and supplements that will help you improve what you hear.Symptoms
If you are finding it increasingly difficult to hear others or if you muffle your speech check your hearing. If you frequently ask others to speak slower and louder, need to turn up the volume of the television or radio and you withdraw from conversations, these are symptoms of hearing loss.
Mechanics of Hearing
As sound waves spread to the bones and tissues located inside your ear and vibrate, they are transformed into nerve signals. Your brain recognizes these as words and translates them. Your outer ear, middle ear and inner ear all contribute to hearing sounds. Sound waves enter the outer ear and cause vibrations to the eardrum. The eardrum and the three small bones of the middle ear amplify the vibrations and they travel to the inner ear. The vibration then passes though the fluid in the cochlea or a snail shaped structure in your inner ear.
Many, many tiny hairs translate vibrations into electrical signals in the cochlea. You distinguish one sound from another due to these tiny hairs and how they react with the nerves.
Causes
Hearing loss can be damage to the inner air. Aging and contact with loud noises cause wear and tear on the hairs and nerve cells in the cochlea. When these hairs and cells are missing or even damaged, electrical signals are not transmitted as they should. You may find that high pitched tones are muffled and it is difficult for you to distinguish words and sounds if there is background noise. You may be more prone to hearing loss due to heredity. Loud noises, yes your mother was right when she said turn down the rock n” ™ roll, when you were young definitely causes hearing loss due to damaged and missing hairs and nerves in the cochlea.
Buildup of earwax can block the ear canal and prevent sound waves from entering the proper sections of the ear. This is a reason for hearing loss in any age. You can restore the sound wave functions by cleaning out the earwax in your ears.
Ear infections and abnormal bone growth can cause hearing loss. A ruptured eardrum caused by loud blasts of noise, changes in pressure or breaking your eardrum with an outside object can affect your hearing.
Quality of Life
Complications from hearing loss can cause depression, anxiety and a feeling that you are in the middle of a rainstorm. You might feel that others are angry at your since you cannot hear what they are saying. Don” ™t wait years before seeking treatment. It is trendy to wear awesome hearing aids!
Treatments
If you have hearing problems there is help. Treatment does depend on the cause and severity, but you can regain a good part of your hearing back.
- Remove wax blockage. This is very every day and a treatable cause of hearing loss. Earwax can be removed by your doctor by loosening the wax with oil then suctioning, flushing, or scooping the relaxed wax out of your ear.
- Hearing aids will help if your hearing loss is caused by damage in the inner ear. Hearing aids make sounds stronger and easier for you to distinguish. Discuss with an audiologist the potential benefits plus fitting you with the best hearing aid for your situation.
Cochlear implants can be recommended if you have severe hearing loss. A cochlear implant amplifies sound and directs the sound into your inner ear canal. Cochlear implants help with damaged and non-working parts of your inner ear.
