If you don't have a pair of ear plugs, next time you're out, pick some up. Not only will it be harder for you to hear when you are wearing them, but you will find that everything you do actually becomes harder. It's a strain to have a simple conversation. Enjoying the radio is impossible and viewing television is a struggle. If you are having difficulty hearing will also have trouble perceiving movement in your home. You actually won't hear any normal sounds - a door being shut or opened, the air conditioning starting up.
This is the world of auditory isolation which many people have to face. It is important to keep in mind that hearing loss due to trauma or loud noises can be prevented. There are two fundamental types of hearing loss. The first is conductive loss when sounds can not reach the inner ear, therefore depriving the brain of any sounds to interpret, this is total hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs as a result of damage to the tiny fibers located either in the inner ear, the healing nerve, or the brain itself, and although sound has entered the inner ear, the signal has been restricted or misunderstood because of the damage. Usually tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing in the ear, accompanies this form of hearing loss. For many, tinnitus is more of a problem than a loss of hearing. A physician or audiologist is able to differentiate between the kinds of hearing loss by examining your medical history and by carrying out certain tests. They typically use a hearing test to confirm the diagnosis they suspect.
A person with conductive hearing loss may simply have to have ear wax removed from the ear canal. However, it is possible that the only way to fix this loss is through surgery for otosclerosis, which affects the bones of the middle ear. Digital hearing aids can alleviate sensorineural hearing loss quite well in some patients; others with different inner ear issues may need cochlear implants.
If you find yourself in a situation that the noise around you is so loud that you have to speak louder in order to be heard, then, as a rule, you should either remove yourself from the noise, or utilize earplugs or headphones to protect your hearing. Many baby boomers are not suffering with decreased hearing as a result of the loud rock and roll music they played at high volumes when they were younger. Other individuals are experiencing the same hearing loss as a result of shooting guns as a child, or serving in the military and not using ear protection. Permanent hearing loss is the result of loud music, machines, motors, and munitions. Twenty percent of people age 55 have some level of hearing loss; by age 65, the figure jumps to 33 percent. Fortunately, loss of hearing associated with the aging process usually does not lead to complete deafness.
People experiencing a loss of hearing in a single ear may have an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor which interferes with the auditory nerve. This type of tumor has a slow rate of growth, but can cause total deafness and other problems if left untreated. The normal treatment is surgery. Other people who have hearing loss are prone to chronic ear infections, including middle-ear infections, mumps, measles, scarlet fever and meningitis. These can all cause hearing loss and should be discussed with your doctor.
Anything which obstructs the ear canal interferes with the flow of sound. This includes ear wax which is pushed deeper into the ear canal by people who aggressively clean their ears with cotton swabs. Cotton swabs are ok to use lightly. If your ears have a tendency toward wax build-up, talk to your doctor. The middle ear is vulnerable to hardening of the bones or the presence of extra fluid due to allergies or infections.
Hearing can be adversely affected by some medications such as those for malaria, heart anti-arrhythmics, some antibiotics, and even aspirin. Hearing can be damaged by trama also. Our hearing can be damaged by noise trauma such as fireworks or gunfire, pressure trauma received during underwater diving or flying in an airplane, a hole poked in the eardrum, or skull fractures. Begin using earplugs whenever you should. You should especially consider earplugs whenever you are working with power tools, even lawn tools like your lawnmower or power edger, target shooting, playing video games, watching movies or listening to music where the volume is very high.
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