Modern Living May Lead to Hearing Loss

Hearing is something we often take for granted. If your ears are working fine why stress, right? Wrong. In today's society, hearing loss is becoming more and more common. Hearing loss is the third most common health concern in America, and millions of American's of all ages suffer from hearing loss. Audiologists are seeing younger and younger clients, and it's clear this is no longer just a problem of aging. Don't shut your ears to reports of high rates of hearing loss, but take steps to protect your hearing!

Noise Induced Hearing Loss

Noise induced hearing loss, or hearing loss from exposure to excessively loud sounds, is becoming increasingly common among young and old alike. When you expose your ears to damaging sounds for too long, the delicate hair cells in your inner ear are destroyed. Once these have been damaged they cannot be repaired. Volume level plays a huge role in hearing loss. Quiet sounds don't damage your hearing. But being exposed to loud sounds over prolonged periods of time will. Noises to watch out for are ones that exceed 85 decibels (dB). Examples of unsafe sounds include things like subway trains (90dB), personal listening devices (80-120dB), live music concerts (120 dB), jackhammers and other power tools (130dB), and jet plane engines (140dB).

Modern Life and Hearing Loss

The modern day lifestyle is responsible for the much younger onset of hearing loss. From busy city streets to loud engines and blaring sirens, daily noises in cities contribute to hearing loss. Loud professions fill job market boards, and young adults are exposed to high levels of workplace noise. After a few years of unsafe listening, hearing loss is practically inevitable. Jobs like construction, farming, factory work, or flight ground crew puts you at high risk for early hearing loss.

Another major modern day concern is the regular usage of personal listening devises like iPods and smartphones. Listening with earbuds or headphones puts loud sounds into direct contact with the sensitive structures of the inner ear. In our daily commute to work, we encounter loud sounds and respond by turning up the volume on our earbuds even louder! Listening loudly through earbuds every day is responsible for more and more hearing loss.

Concerts are another concern for hearing loss. With advancements in sound production and new concert halls designed for volume, raucous concerts often reach extremely high volumes. Hearing is more at risk now than ever before. The louder the sound and the longer you are exposed to it, the greater your hearing loss will be. While hearing something moderately loud for a few minutes won't do too much damage, listening to headphones for a few hours, working without ear protection, or going to a rock concert certainly will. At 120dB, it only takes 20 minutes to permanently damage your hearing! Exposing yourself to the loud noises of everyday life wears down hearing, and will lead to hearing loss.

Signs of Hearing Loss

Do you have trouble understanding conversations? Are phone conversations just the worst? If you have trouble hearing over background noise, you have hearing loss. Asking your friends to speak up or repeat themselves is a sign of hearing loss, not a sign that your friends forgot how to speak at a normal volume. Does your family complain that the TV is too loud? Do you crank up the volume on everything?

Hearing loss can often be quite gradual, so you may not notice as sounds slowly start to slip away from you. Have you heard birds chirping recently? Do you hear the children laughing in the next room? If you answered no, then you are probably struggling with hearing loss.

The reality is, these modern times can lead to hearing loss, and it could affect anyone in this day and age. If you believe you are experiencing changes in your hearing, come visit us at Atlanta Hearing Doctor. Schedule a consultation and comprehensive hearing exam today!

Atlanta Hearing Doctor

No matter your age, you shouldn't have to live with untreated hearing loss. Reach out to us, we look forward to hearing from you.