Pamper Your Ears!

Deafening noises can literally deafen.

Hearing loss has always been a problematic elderly issue. But now it is becoming more and more common in the 40+ age group as well. And younger, actually. According to the American Hearing Research Foundation, there are 40 million Americans who have lost hearing, and about 10 million of those cases are a result of noise-induced hearing loss (NHL). They consider it to be, in fact, the leading occupational hazard.

Noise. We live in an age of noise to such an extent that we kind of take it for granted. But noise pollution does actually take a medical toll. Losing hearing can be gradual. But have you heard of “sudden hearing loss”? It’s a real phenomenon and not uncommon. Formally defined, it occurs within a three-day period after onset. Many causes remain largely a medical mystery. But one thing is known for sure. It can definitely be due to loud sound. Headphones and loud music aside, sounds we take for granted and have become insensitive to.

Sound pressure is measured in decibels (dB), and normal conversation is 60 dB. When noise gets louder than 86 dB, we can damage our hearing. That doesn’t take much.

Take a look at some of these sources of loud sound and mentally note if you’re ever around them. Music on earphones set at a volume of 5 – 100 dB; hearing damage can occur after 15 minutes per day of regular exposure. A motorcycle – 100 DB; loss can occur after 15 minutes per day of regular exposure. Loud thunder – 120 dB; can cause immediate damage. Rock concerts – 130 dB; damage can happen after 10 or 15 minutes, even if temporary. Guns (i.e. a shot gun) – 140 to 190 dB; can cause sudden loss of hearing, either temporary or permanent. Veterans of war and hunters have a higher frequency of this type of damage.

There are a lot of other sounds within these damage ranges, such as bulldozers and construction equipment, as well as high-pitch noises from various equipment and instruments used on the job. My father experienced some loss in his late 60s, and then sudden loss in one ear. His doctor said it was from the high-pitched dental drills he was exposed to daily during his career. Sudden hearing loss suddenly hit. Another relative, also a dentist, is already experiencing this problem in his early 60s.

Do you know anyone (yourself??) that says “What?” a lot? Or needs to keep turning up the TV to hear it? Or seems to talk really loudly? These are symptoms of loss of hearing. So let’s pamper our ears a little and turn down the volume, turn off the sound occasionally, close the windows if there’s loud noise outside, and wear earplugs as we need to. And pass this info along to younger people! Specialists predict because of headphones and loud music alone, hearing loss will be common for folks in their 30s.

Let’s plan to extend quality of life not just into our golden years, but also into our 40s!