Does hearing loss worsen as you age? Hearing loss is a common gradually developing condition that impacts all adults. Actually, over 50% of people 75 and older have trouble hearing.
Presbycusis
The slowly progressing condition of hearing loss as we get older is commonly known as presbycusis. There is no one definitive cause for this occurrence, but it is normally considered to be a combination of many factors.
As we get older, our ears go through changes. There are tiny hair cells in our inner ear that help us to hear. They pick up sound waves and translate them into nerve signals that our brain uses to translate sound.
When these little hair cells become damaged or die, hearing loss is the consequence. Hearing loss that is the consequence of damage to these hairs is permanent as these hairs never regenerate.
The following are some causes of hearing loss:
- Some medications including chemotherapy drugs raise the risk.
- Wearing headphones when listening to loud music can increase the risk.
- Hearing loss can be genetics.
- Certain medical conditions like diabetes can result in hearing loss.
- Loud noises such as going to concerts frequently or working in an environment with continual loud noise.
- The risk of hearing loss is raised by smoking.
Some common symptoms of age-related hearing loss
When you have difficulty hearing soft voices, children’s voices, voices when there is a lot of background noise, and an overall lack of clarity when somebody talks are all symptoms of Presbycusis.
Other indicators of hearing loss include frequently asking people to repeat what they said, ringing in the ears, and needing to turn the volume up on the TV.
Managing age-related hearing loss is essential
Quality of life will be negatively impacted by untreated hearing loss. Untreated hearing loss is linked to depression, despair, anxiousness, cognitive decline, poor social relationships, and the risk of dementia.
These problems can, to a great extent, be avoided by having your hearing loss treated with solutions such as hearing aids, telephone amplifiers, lip reading, a cochlear implant, or if your hearing loss is severe, sign language.
Struggling with age-related hearing loss isn’t something that anyone should have to do. There are ways to take pleasure in your life again.
Consult us today to schedule your hearing test and to talk about the best treatments for your hearing loss or for somebody you love.
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References
Older Adults — Hearing Health Foundation
Hearing Loss: A Common Problem for Older Adults | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)
Seniors and Hearing Loss – American Academy of Audiology