The Most Common Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is a common health issue that can affect anybody. It can gradually happen over years due to old age, maybe one loud sound or injury could cause permanent hearing damage for life. While these are unfortunate, they are very common ways to have hearing loss. This post is going to cover the three most common causes of hearing loss, how to manage them, and how to prevent each cause.

Aging

After the age of 65, your chances of hearing loss will drastically increase. These changes will occur in the inner and middle ear. These changes are within the neural pathways between the ear and the brain when the tiny hair cells become damaged. These cells do not regrow so the damage will be permanent.  Genetics play a role in age-related hearing loss, so does physical health such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and also exposure to loud noises will play a role as well. It’s important to have regular hearing tests with an audiologist as you get older. If you’re already experiencing hearing loss, it’s important to contact your local audiologist as soon as possible so you can receive a hearing test and receive more information on how to treat the hearing loss as well as how to prevent any further damage to your ear.

Excessive Loud Sounds

One of the most common dangers to one’s hearing would be overexposure to loud noises. While aging will increase hearing loss, this not only will increase the process of age hearing loss, but it can cause tinnitus or even permanent hearing loss. Sometimes these loud excessive sounds can cause permanent hearing damage almost immediately, such as the sound of a gunshot being close to the ear, or being next to speakers at a music festival. Many people know about these, which is why it’s heavily pushed to wear ear protectors such as earplugs. You may not realize it, but also gradual loud sounds can also affect your hearing such as fireworks, large events, and power tools. It is understandable, but unfortunate that at times loud sounds just can’t be avoided such as passing by a construction site, covering your ears should minimize the exposure and protect your ears. A common problem that happens nowadays is receiving hearing loss from self-controlled loud sounds such as playing music on the loudest volume of your headphones. Be sure to have the volume for all of your devices to be at a low to medium volume to avoid any damage to your hearing.