Strange Causes of Hearing Loss
Age-related hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss. This is a normal wear and tear that comes with age but there are other factors that contribute to hearing loss. The normal wear and tear of a lifetime of hearing is no surprise but there are other risks to your hearing that can contribute to hearing loss sooner and more acute. If you are aware of other causes of hearing loss you may be able to make choices that can keep your ears hearing longer with less severity to your hearing abilities.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss
Another more common cause of hearing loss is caused by noise. Noise is all around us and unlike our eyes, we cannot shut our ears to protect them from sounds when they loud enough to cause damage. Levels of sound are measured by decibels. While normal conversation is generally about 60 dB, a common household machine like a lawn mower is about 90 dB, and a loud public event like a rally or music concert can soar to 120 dB. As a rule, any sound above 85 will be very damaging to the fragile nerves and receptors in our inner ear. The longer you are exposed to a sound at this level, the more damage it can do over time. If the places you spend the most time, like your job doesn’t seem “too loud” a level of 85 or higher sustained day after day can slowly do some serious damage.
Protect Your Ears
Another other way that noise induced hearing loss manifests is by a sudden extremely loud noise. This happens very quickly and causes irreparable damage. The scary thing is that when you damage your ears due to a sudden loud noise or a sustained noise for a long span of time, the damage to your inner ear can never be repaired. For this reason it is important to protect your ears from dangerous sound levels as best you can. The best way to protect your hearing is to wear hearing protection whenever you suspect you are going to be exposed to a harmful noise. If you work in a noisy environment wear hearing protection every day. If you know you are going to a shooting range or to see fireworks, don’t leave home with out your earplugs.
While noise induced hearing loss is another common cause of hearing loss there are other causes to be aware of. Hearing is such an essential sense that keeps us connected to people and helps us navigate the world safely. It’s important to be informed of all the ways you may be putting your hearing at risk so you can do your best to protect your amazing and fragile ears. Below are just a few unexpected causes of hearing loss.
- Hypertension: Researchers believe that higher blood pressure may speed up the natural process of hearing loss that occurs with aging by placing more pressure on the inner ear from the inside.
- Chemotherapy: Platinum base drugs are often used in chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells from the body. These drugs are very harsh on the body and can often cause harm to the fragile inner ear. It is estimated that 61% of people who have had platinum-based drugs used in chemotherapy suffer long lasting hearing loss
- Diabetes: While the connection isn’t completely clear researchers speculate that high blood sugar can damage blood vessels throughout the body, including your fragile ears. Not only that, but diabetes can also damage fragile nerves including those in your ears. It is estimated that 40 percent of diabetes patients also deal with some hearing loss.
- Ototoxic drugs: Certain drugs are classified as ototoxic, meaning that they can damage your hearing. Some of these drugs include certain antibiotics and even over the counter drugs including aspirin. Erectile dysfunction medications may also have a negative effect on your hearing.
- Smoking: There is a 70 percent higher risk of hearing loss in smokers than non-smokers, giving you one more reason to quit. Some of the chemicals used in most cigarettes can be harmful to your fragile ears.
There are many things you can be aware of to protect your ears for the future. The more causes you know, the safer you can keep your ears so you can hear your best into your golden years.