Most people suffer gradual hearing loss as they age. About 25 percent of American's between the ages of 65 and 75 have some degree of hearing loss. There are two main factors of hearing loss. The first is heredity. The second is chronic exposure to loud noises. Working with heavy machinery or power tools without proper ear protection can contribute to hearing loss by increasing the natural wear and tear on your ears over time.
Hearing loss happens when your cochlea, a snail shaped structure in the inner ear, is damaged. Nerve cells in the cochlea can degenerate and the hairs on them can break or bend. This causes electrical signals to transmit less efficiently, resulting in hearing loss. Other causes of hearing loss include ear infection, waxy buildup, ruptured eardrums and abnormal bone growths or tumors. If your hearing loss is caused by damage to the cochlea a hearing aid may help restore some function. While hearing aids are not for everyone they do help many people hear better.
A hearing aid is a small electronic device you wear in or behind your ear. It is made up of three basic parts, a microphone, an amplifier and a battery. The hearing aid works by amplifying the sounds you hear. This makes processing those sounds easier for the chochlea. The greater the damage to your inner ear, the more sounds must be amplified for you to hear them.
Before you buy a hearing aid you should be evaluated by a licensed physician to be sure that your type of hearing loss can be helped by a hearing aid. Various kinds of hearing aids are available. An audiologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing can help you shop around and find the hearing aid that is best for you. You will even be able to test-wear the device before you commit to buying it. As technology increases hearing aids are becoming more discrete. Most are flesh colored to blend into your ear. Many are very small, making them more comfortable to wear and less noticeable by others. Some fit entirely into your ear making them almost impossible for others to detect.
Hearing aids vary in cost depending on their size, features and sophistication. The cost of buying and replacing batteries also varies between hearing aid since different models use different types of batteries.
The cost of your visits to the doctor, hearing tests and all or part of your hearing aid may be covered by your private health care plan. Medicare does not cover hearing aids however Medicaid often helps pay for children's hearing aids.
Hearing Loss Causes
Knowing the common causes of hearing loss is always the first step to prevention. Being aware can help you determine if you are at any risk.
- There are some causes of hearing loss that no one may be able to prevent. These include genes and illnesses like rubella which may infect mothers during pregnancy and lead to hearing problems in their infants.
- Being too particular about ear cleanliness can be harmful for you. Using cotton buds too frequently can injure the ear or push the ear wax deeper into the ear, thereby increasing your risk of hearing loss.
- Loud sounds and noises are understandably major causes of hearing loss. Rock concerts and using earphones are top sources of ear blasting sounds. Noise however is also present in some forms of work.
- Diseases like meningitis and ear infections can all lead to hearing loss.
- Growing old would mean your ears could grow old too. This is why some of the elderly normally become hard of hearing.
- Not wearing protection and not knowing how to dive properly or execute some water sport routines can lead to damage of the ear.
Preventing Hearing Impairment
There are ways to stop the causes for hearing loss. Here are some of them:
- If you have a noisy job and noisy work tools, wear ear protection. The same rule applies if you participate in fast paced water sports.
- It's okay to entertain yourself with music and action movies but make sure you moderate the volume of your entertainment system.
- Clean your ears only twice a week. It is advisable to only swab or wipe the outer ear clean. If you want inner wax to be removed, you should consult your ear specialist.
- Babies should be screened upon birth to detect possible problems or risk factors leading to hearing problems. Vaccinations for infections should also follow at a regular schedule from infancy to adolescence or even adulthood.
- Include your ears in your schedule for regular check ups. This will allow you to both check early signs of wearing in your ears and choose the right intervention for it.
- Don't show off to yourself or others when you execute water sport routines. If you are not yet an expert at your sport, reign yourself in. Make sure that you are properly trained and that you know all the safety precautions.
You definitely don't want to experience the different degrees of hearing loss. If you don't want to become deaf, make sure you know what you should and shouldn't do to your ears.
Both Gemma-leigh Garner & Jeff Holmes are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Gemma-leigh Garner has sinced written about articles on various topics from Hearing Aids, Disease & illness and Pets. Gemma-Leigh Garner is a freelance copywriter and blogger that writes on many different health subjects such as the causes of hearing loss and how can help you. Gemma-leigh Garner's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.
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