Deep within your inner ear, tiny 'hair cells' are dancing to the soundtrack of your life. whether you're listening to the quiet strains of a violin solo or the roar of a chainsaw, these microscopic bristles quiver, quake and shimmy - and convert sound waves into electrical signals of your brain. But when they die off - the result of too many loud concerts in your younger days, too many lawns mowed without ear protection, even too many nights with a snoring bed partner - they're gone. And so is some of your hearing.
Most of us will have a little hearing loss as we get older. By the time you're in your 20s, you may already have lost the ability to detect extremely high-pitched sounds. In later years, as hair cells die a natural or unnatural death, you may have difficulty hearing lower tones as well. So if you find you're asking people to repeat themselves, or if you frequently turn up the volume on the TV or don't always notice that the phone is ringing, you're in good company. Between 24 and 40 percent of adults over the age of 65 have difficulty hearing, as do up to half of people over 75. By the age of 85, 30 percent are even deaf in one ear.
The problem is that modern western lifestyle make it almost impossible to stop all hearing loss. And once it's gone, you'll need a hearing aid to get it back. The good news is that much hearing loss can be avoided - and it's never too late to preserve what you have.
If you're planning to use all the strategies at your disposal to live a long, happy, healthy life - from eating well to exercising frequently, from socialising often to keeping your mind active with cultural and educational activities - you'll need your cars. But when researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine asked more than 32,000 people aged 75 and over about their hearing, they were shocked to find that 42 percent said they had difficulty hearing. And when they conducted a whispered voice test on almost 15,000 of them, 23 percent failed - and more than half of those did not have a hearing aid. Yet hearing loss has a major impact on quality of life, they say - and it can lead to social isolation and depression.
In contrast, a survey of 2,069 people with hearing problems and their families underscores how vitally important sharp hearing is for good health and a long life. Among these who made the decision to wear a hearing aid, 71 percent said life was better, 35 percent felt more self-confident, 40 percent were involved in more social activities including sports and clubs, 53 percent had better relationships with family, 28 percent said their physical health improved, 35 percent were less dependent on others... and 13 percent said their sex lives improved.
14 ways to preserve your hearing
Most medical issues are complicated; hearing problems, by contrast, are pretty simple. In the majority of cases, they are caused by - you guessed it - prolonged exposure to loud sounds.
Sadly, modern living is decidedly noisy. Whereas most of human history lacked engines, machines and amplified music, today's life exposes us to a never-ending parade of loud sound. Some of that is to do with lifestyle choices - living in an urban environment, a love of rock music, frequent flying.
When to get help
Your GP may be able to find an easily rectified cause for any hearing loss - for example, by removing ear wax, or changing any medication that could be causing it. Or you could be referred to your local audiology clinic for a hearing test. so don't delay if you have sudden or
bothersome hearing loss.
How loud is too loud?
Unprotected your ears will be damaged by just 1 minute of exposure to a chainsaw - or any other sound at 11o decibels or higher. Your damage threshold is 15 minutes for sounds at 100 decibels and just a few hours at 90 decibels. A smarter pain: always wear ear protection around these potential deafeners.
Gunshot (peak level) 140-170 decibels
Jet taking off 140 decibels
Crying baby, rock concert, chainsaw, 110-120 decibels
diesel train
Motorbike, lawnmower, workshop tools, heavy traffic 90 decibels
Snoring spouse 30-90 decibels
found that the diabetics were significantly more likely to have hearing loss, especially at low and mid-frequencies. Hearing thresholds got worse the longer the duration of the diabetes. High blood sugar levels damage the tiny nerves and blood vessels in the ears - and throughout the body - giving people with diabetes one more reason to keep their sugar levels healthy.
9 Snack on pumpkin seeds In scientific studies, magnesium deficiencies seem to stress cells in the ear. A two-month study of army recruits found that a little magnesium seemed to protect found that a little magnesium seemed to protect them from some permanent noise-related hearing loss. Pumpkin seeds are rich source of magnesium, as are Swiss chard, halibut, flaxseeds and brown rice.
10 Have a glass of orange juice at breakfast In a Dutch study of 728 older women and men, those who got 800mcg of folic acid a day had less hearing loss after three years than those who didn't. Split-pea soup, wholegrain bread, spinach and fortified breakfast cereals are also great sources of this importance B vitamin.
Most of us will have a little hearing loss as we get older. By the time you're in your 20s, you may already have lost the ability to detect extremely high-pitched sounds. In later years, as hair cells die a natural or unnatural death, you may have difficulty hearing lower tones as well. So if you find you're asking people to repeat themselves, or if you frequently turn up the volume on the TV or don't always notice that the phone is ringing, you're in good company. Between 24 and 40 percent of adults over the age of 65 have difficulty hearing, as do up to half of people over 75. By the age of 85, 30 percent are even deaf in one ear.
The problem is that modern western lifestyle make it almost impossible to stop all hearing loss. And once it's gone, you'll need a hearing aid to get it back. The good news is that much hearing loss can be avoided - and it's never too late to preserve what you have.
If you're planning to use all the strategies at your disposal to live a long, happy, healthy life - from eating well to exercising frequently, from socialising often to keeping your mind active with cultural and educational activities - you'll need your cars. But when researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine asked more than 32,000 people aged 75 and over about their hearing, they were shocked to find that 42 percent said they had difficulty hearing. And when they conducted a whispered voice test on almost 15,000 of them, 23 percent failed - and more than half of those did not have a hearing aid. Yet hearing loss has a major impact on quality of life, they say - and it can lead to social isolation and depression.
In contrast, a survey of 2,069 people with hearing problems and their families underscores how vitally important sharp hearing is for good health and a long life. Among these who made the decision to wear a hearing aid, 71 percent said life was better, 35 percent felt more self-confident, 40 percent were involved in more social activities including sports and clubs, 53 percent had better relationships with family, 28 percent said their physical health improved, 35 percent were less dependent on others... and 13 percent said their sex lives improved.
14 ways to preserve your hearing
Most medical issues are complicated; hearing problems, by contrast, are pretty simple. In the majority of cases, they are caused by - you guessed it - prolonged exposure to loud sounds.
Sadly, modern living is decidedly noisy. Whereas most of human history lacked engines, machines and amplified music, today's life exposes us to a never-ending parade of loud sound. Some of that is to do with lifestyle choices - living in an urban environment, a love of rock music, frequent flying.
When to get help
Your GP may be able to find an easily rectified cause for any hearing loss - for example, by removing ear wax, or changing any medication that could be causing it. Or you could be referred to your local audiology clinic for a hearing test. so don't delay if you have sudden or
bothersome hearing loss.
- Get emergency help if you suddenly lose most or all of your hearing in a short time - such as three days or less. Doctors suspect that the cause of sudden hearing loss is a viral infection of the inner ear or of important nerves related to hearing.
- See the doctor if you seem to be having more difficulty hearing than in the past. Make an appointment if you're having problems hearing people on the telephone,- following conversations involving several people, understanding what's happening in a noisy room, hearing the speech of children or women, or if other people seem to be mumbling or if family or friends tell you that you're turning the TV up too loud.
For many others, it's job-related: just a week as a firefighter, police officer, factory worker, farmer, construction worker, musician or working in the military or heavy industry can damage your hearing.
Your first move? Do all you can to protect the hearing you have right now. The first few tips are common sense - protect yourself from loud noises. But these may be the hardest to take action on: many people worry that earplugs and hearing aids will make them look old or silly. Wrong, With the rise of mobile-phone usage and MP3 players, there's hardly any adult - or teenager - who doesn't have ear gadgets of some type. No one notices, and no one cares, if you have a hearing aid or sound-blocking tool in your ear! With that in mind ...
1 Buy earplugs and keep them in your home, garage, car and bag Wear them when you'll be exposed to any sound over 85 decibels - such as lawn equipment, loud concert, wedding or social event with loud music, an afternoon target-shooting, even time in a loud health club. Don't rely on cotton-wool balls or bits of tissue stuffed in your ears; they'll screen out only about 7 decibles of sound, while foam earplugs can block up to 32 decibels. Need more protection? Look into custom-made earplugs from an audiologist, or special sound-deadening earmuffs.
2 Love your headphones? Ask a friend if he or she can hear the music, too Your tunes are turned up TOO CLOUD if others can hear the sounds from your ears or headphones from a metre (3ft) away, warns the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID). And listen to music piped directly into your ears for only about 11/2 hours a day at normal volume - just 5 minutes at top volume. Beyond that can cause hearing loss.
3 Change seats at a noisy event If it's too loud where you are - at a concert, meeting or social event - move. Do the same if you can't hear someone who's just a couple of feet away, if you have to raise your own voice to be heard or if the sounds around you begin to seem muffled. Again, there's nothing old-fashioned about removing yourself from overly loud situations.
4 Wear earplugs at holidays celebrated with a bang, too Fireworks and loud, booming rockets are a staple of festivities around the world. Enjoy them to the fullest - with your eyes. Meanwhile, keep earplugs firmly in place in your ears.
5 Keep earplugs on your beside table A small Canadian study found that bedmates of snorers suffered snuffered hearing loss in the ear closest to the person making all that night noise. Snoring can reach 80 decibels - as loud as someone yelling for help - or even 90 decibels - equivalent to heavy traffic noise.
6 Get your medication checked Many prescription and non-prescription drugs can damage the eat and cause hearing loss. These include high doses of aspirin, anti-malarials and antibiotics, including crythromycin, vancomycin, tetracycline, gentamicin and streptomycin.
7 Ask about earwax Embarrassing but true: sometimes, hearing loss is simply the result of a gradual accumulation of carwax. It can block the ear canal and prevent the transmission of sound waves. Ask your doctor to check your ears and remove any build-up.
8 Control your blood sugar When specialists from Whipps Cross Hospital in London tested the hearing of 102 diabetic patients compared with people from the general population, they
Your first move? Do all you can to protect the hearing you have right now. The first few tips are common sense - protect yourself from loud noises. But these may be the hardest to take action on: many people worry that earplugs and hearing aids will make them look old or silly. Wrong, With the rise of mobile-phone usage and MP3 players, there's hardly any adult - or teenager - who doesn't have ear gadgets of some type. No one notices, and no one cares, if you have a hearing aid or sound-blocking tool in your ear! With that in mind ...
1 Buy earplugs and keep them in your home, garage, car and bag Wear them when you'll be exposed to any sound over 85 decibels - such as lawn equipment, loud concert, wedding or social event with loud music, an afternoon target-shooting, even time in a loud health club. Don't rely on cotton-wool balls or bits of tissue stuffed in your ears; they'll screen out only about 7 decibles of sound, while foam earplugs can block up to 32 decibels. Need more protection? Look into custom-made earplugs from an audiologist, or special sound-deadening earmuffs.
2 Love your headphones? Ask a friend if he or she can hear the music, too Your tunes are turned up TOO CLOUD if others can hear the sounds from your ears or headphones from a metre (3ft) away, warns the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID). And listen to music piped directly into your ears for only about 11/2 hours a day at normal volume - just 5 minutes at top volume. Beyond that can cause hearing loss.
3 Change seats at a noisy event If it's too loud where you are - at a concert, meeting or social event - move. Do the same if you can't hear someone who's just a couple of feet away, if you have to raise your own voice to be heard or if the sounds around you begin to seem muffled. Again, there's nothing old-fashioned about removing yourself from overly loud situations.
4 Wear earplugs at holidays celebrated with a bang, too Fireworks and loud, booming rockets are a staple of festivities around the world. Enjoy them to the fullest - with your eyes. Meanwhile, keep earplugs firmly in place in your ears.
5 Keep earplugs on your beside table A small Canadian study found that bedmates of snorers suffered snuffered hearing loss in the ear closest to the person making all that night noise. Snoring can reach 80 decibels - as loud as someone yelling for help - or even 90 decibels - equivalent to heavy traffic noise.
6 Get your medication checked Many prescription and non-prescription drugs can damage the eat and cause hearing loss. These include high doses of aspirin, anti-malarials and antibiotics, including crythromycin, vancomycin, tetracycline, gentamicin and streptomycin.
7 Ask about earwax Embarrassing but true: sometimes, hearing loss is simply the result of a gradual accumulation of carwax. It can block the ear canal and prevent the transmission of sound waves. Ask your doctor to check your ears and remove any build-up.
8 Control your blood sugar When specialists from Whipps Cross Hospital in London tested the hearing of 102 diabetic patients compared with people from the general population, they
How loud is too loud?
Unprotected your ears will be damaged by just 1 minute of exposure to a chainsaw - or any other sound at 11o decibels or higher. Your damage threshold is 15 minutes for sounds at 100 decibels and just a few hours at 90 decibels. A smarter pain: always wear ear protection around these potential deafeners.
Gunshot (peak level) 140-170 decibels
Jet taking off 140 decibels
Crying baby, rock concert, chainsaw, 110-120 decibels
diesel train
Motorbike, lawnmower, workshop tools, heavy traffic 90 decibels
Snoring spouse 30-90 decibels
found that the diabetics were significantly more likely to have hearing loss, especially at low and mid-frequencies. Hearing thresholds got worse the longer the duration of the diabetes. High blood sugar levels damage the tiny nerves and blood vessels in the ears - and throughout the body - giving people with diabetes one more reason to keep their sugar levels healthy.
9 Snack on pumpkin seeds In scientific studies, magnesium deficiencies seem to stress cells in the ear. A two-month study of army recruits found that a little magnesium seemed to protect found that a little magnesium seemed to protect them from some permanent noise-related hearing loss. Pumpkin seeds are rich source of magnesium, as are Swiss chard, halibut, flaxseeds and brown rice.
10 Have a glass of orange juice at breakfast In a Dutch study of 728 older women and men, those who got 800mcg of folic acid a day had less hearing loss after three years than those who didn't. Split-pea soup, wholegrain bread, spinach and fortified breakfast cereals are also great sources of this importance B vitamin.
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