The sounds we are exposed to in today’s modern world are getting louder as we pump up the volume on our entertainment in the cinemas, at music concerts and on out home systems; not forgetting the increase in the noise from the cars and lorries on our roads and the constant din from industrial machinery and the power tools we are all using. This has had a major effect on the lives on many with over 28 million Americans being deaf or living with hearing problems.
A lot of hearing loss though can be prevented or the effects delayed. Medical treatments and the technology of hearing aids has advanced to allow many more cases of hearing loss to be effectively treated.
Hearing loss is now more likely to occur at a younger age as people are exposed to more sound at dangerous levels. The number of Americans that are living with irreversible damage to their hearing from dangerous noise levels is around 10 million, and 30 million are exposed to damaging levels of noise every day.
The age groups most likely to suffer from hearing loss is between the ages of 45 and 64 with men having a 356% loss and women having an 85% loss of hearing. Unlike age, hearing loss from noise levels and infections, especially during childhood is preventable.
Experts recommend hearing tests should begin at birth. Now it is possible to diagnose any problems with a newborn baby’s hearing using otoacoustic emissions. By the time a baby reaches six months it is already fast developing the language skills it needs for its life ahead and by testing its hearing early can ensure it gets the best chance to make the most of this important time.
Sound is collected by our outer ears and causes the ear drum and the tiny bones of the inner ear to vibrate. These electrical impulses are generated by hair like cells in the cochlea and are then sent to the brain. These cells are irreplaceable and as such if they die they cannot be grown back.
Tinnitus, a constant high pitched sound or buzzes and crackles in a person’s ears, is the most common symptom of hearing damage caused by excessive noise levels. Most people learn to live with tinnitus including the majority of the Americans who are known to suffer from it which is estimated at 40 million.
Click here Now!Some suffers find the level of noise easily bearable and many have described the sounds as crickets which they hear and which can lull them off to sleep. But for others tinnitus can be simply maddening. Approximately 10 million people suffer from severe tinnitus, and 80% do manage to find relief, but as of yet no conventional cure has been found.
The actor William Shatner who starred as Captain James T Kirk in Star Trek was tormented by tinnitus and even considered suicide. He believes it is possible that explosions let off on set of Star Trek could have been the cause of his condition.
You can protect yourself from hearing loss in the following ways. One way to prevent hearing loss is by using earplugs. Exposure to any sounds above 90 decibels from thing like electric drills and motorcycles for a long period can cause a temporary loss of hearing. Exposure to anything over 100 decibels such as light industrial machinery without protection for more than 15 minutes can cause hearing damage. Music concerts and racing cars regularly exceed 110 decibels which is enough to cause permanent hearing loss.
Ear infections must be treated as soon as possible. Ear infections can be present without any pain or swelling. Sometimes the only noticeable symptom is a loss of hearing. Therefore it is always best to talk to a doctor and get a hearing test.
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