Typically, as a person ages, hearing loss begins to appear, but we don’t notice it right away because we think of hearing as an automatic process that happens just like breathing. Hearing loss normally starts at the higher frequency levels, but gradually moves to speech frequency levels, so we only notice hearing problems later in life.
There are many causes of hearing loss, but they can be classified into conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. The former is caused by middle ear infection, too much ear wax, otosclerosis, some head injuries, and perforated eardrums, while the latter is caused by presbycusis (age-related), certain medications, acoustic trauma from working in noisy places, Ménière’s disease. and acoustic neuroma (a benign tumor).
Exactly how high is too high? Expose yourself to noise over 85 decibels and you’re in trouble. For example, lawnmowers, tractors, and hand drills produce a sound that ranges from 90 to 98 decibels; jet engines, bulldozers, sirens produce sound in the 105 to 140 decibels; equally harmful are portable players because they have the ability to produce sound at the 130 decibel level.
In many cases, hearing loss is a progressive condition, but steps can be taken to slow this process.
- Limit exposure to loud and extremely loud noises whenever possible. If you walk home, choose a path that is quiet but safe.
- When watching TV, don’t turn up the volume so high that your neighbors can hear what you’re watching.
- When using headphones to listen to music all day, do not turn the volume up to more than 50 percent and do not exceed 80 percent even for a moment. It’s too loud if the person sitting next to you can hear what you’re listening to.
- The same goes for using headphones for voice and video calls. When not in use, put the headphones back.
- If you can’t limit it because of work – firearms training, lawn mowing, leaf blowing, manufacturing, airport work, power tool use, large engine exposure and much more – don’t forget to wear protective gear such as protection against noise. Reducing ear muffs to prevent or slow hearing loss.
- When cleaning your ears, do not prick them with a cotton swab or any other tool, as this will push the earwax further into the ear canal, where it will harden into a mass that would need professional removal. The worst that could happen is that pushing the wax out of the ear too much could rupture the eardrums in the process, thereby permanently losing your hearing.
- Reduce the stress in your life by simplifying the way you live and learning to relax. Eat and live healthy so you don’t need to take medications that can affect your hearing.
- Ask your doctor if your medicine can affect your hearing in the long term. If you ask for an alternative.
- And lastly, to slow hearing loss, keep your heart and circulation healthy, as poor circulation affects the delicate structure of your ears.