Don’t forget to have your hearing tested regularly
Symptoms of hearing loss include difficulty hearing in a group situation or in noisy environments, ringing sounds (tinnitus) in the ears, difficulty hearing certain words or sounds that people say, and difficulty hearing the television or radio.
Statistics show that one in six people suffer from hearing loss and 50 percent of individuals over the age of 60 suffer from some degree of hearing loss.
An even scarier statistic is that the average person waits seven years before addressing their hearing loss.
March is International Hearing Awareness Month, which is aimed at educating the public on the causes and signs of hearing loss as well as how an audiologist is able to assist in preventing and treating hearing loss.
The most common cause of hearing loss is age-related hearing loss, otherwise known as presbycusis. Our cochlea (hearing organ) is filled with millions of tiny hairs which vibrate in response to sound. This, in turn, stimulates the hearing nerve. As we age, these hair cells die away, causing an individual to suffer from hearing loss.
Noise is also a large contributing factor to these hair cells becoming damaged and subsequently dying away. When we look at how noise affects our hearing, there are two factors to consider; the volume of the sound as well as the duration of exposure. An individual can be exposed to a noise of 80dB, equivalent to a busy road, for 8 hours before they experience the same amount of hair cell damage as an individual exposed to a gun shot. Once these hair cells are damaged, they cannot be regenerated. That individual will begin to experience symptoms of hearing loss.
Symptoms of hearing loss include difficulty hearing in a group situation or in noisy environments, ringing sounds (tinnitus) in the ears, difficulty hearing certain words or sounds that people say, and difficulty hearing the television or radio.
Protecting your ears from noise is an important aspect in preventing hearing loss. If you, or a loved one enjoy listening to music with headphones, be sure to take an acoustic break of at least five minutes every hour without the headphones on. If you work in a noisy environment, or have a noisy hobby such as hunting, an audiologist can make you custom-made hearing protection.
Custom made hearing protection has a filter which allows soft sounds such as conversational speech into the ear, but blocks out loud, harmful sounds.
An audiologist is also able to treat your hearing loss and most importantly, prevent further hearing decline as well as auditory deprivation.
Auditory deprivation occurs when an individual has an untreated hearing problem and is caused by lack of sound stimulation of the hearing nerve. When the hearing nerves and areas within the brain are deprived of sound, they tend to weaken over time. The sooner you activate these centers of the auditory system and the brain when you first notice the hearing loss, the greater the success you will have with hearing aids.
Many individuals report dissatisfaction with their hearing aids. This could be due to severe auditory deprivation caused by waiting too long to address the hearing loss, or because the hearing aids are not set correctly. It is important that your hearing is tested and that your hearing aid is adjusted on a yearly basis, just like the lenses in your glasses, to ensure the hearing aid is working optimally and stimulating your brain adequately.
Hearing aid technology develops nine times faster than cellular phone technology. Latest advancements in technology have significantly improved how hearing aids function in noisy environments, as well as improved overall sound quality in hearing aids. We are now also able to connect hearing aids directly to your television, cellular phone or landline.
It is of great importance to identify and treat hearing loss as soon as possible to prevent auditory deprivation, as well as other neurological difficulties.
Research shows that individuals with untreated hearing loss are up to 30 percent more likely to suffer from Alzeheimers, dementia and other progressive neurological diseases due to a lack of auditory stimulation in the brain.
The South African Audiology Association (SAAA) has launched a campaign for hearing awareness month called Shake Your Sugar. We encourage everyone to hold a sugar sachet to your ears and listen out for the “ssshh”. If you cannot hear the sound, you could have some degree of hearing loss and should have your hearing tested by an audiologist.
