Does hearing loss worsen as you age? Hearing loss is a common slowly advancing condition that affects all adults. Half of people older than 75 have difficulty with their hearing, as a matter of fact.
Presbycusis
The slowly developing condition of hearing loss as we age is commonly known as presbycusis. There’s no one definitive cause for this occurrence, but it is usually considered to be a combo 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 detect 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 result. These hair cells don’t restore or grow back, so any hearing loss is permanent.
The following are some causes of hearing loss:
- Certain medical disorders like diabetes can lead to hearing loss.
- Loud noises such as going to concerts frequently or working in a setting with consistent loud noise.
- The risk of hearing loss is increased by smoking.
- Hearing loss risk is increased by certain medications including chemotherapy drugs.
- Hearing loss runs in familiess.
- The risk of hearing loss is increased by frequently listening to loud music, especially with headphones.
Some typical symptoms of age-related hearing loss
When you have a hard time making out soft voices, children’s voices, voices when there is a lot of background sound, and a general lack of resolution when somebody talks are all symptoms of Presbycusis.
Other indicators of hearing loss include regularly needing people to repeat what they said, ringing in the ears, and needing to turn the volume up on the TV.
The importance of dealing with age-related hearing loss
Quality of life will be negatively affected by untreated hearing loss. Untreated hearing loss is connected to depression, despair, stress, cognitive decline, poor social relationships, and the risk of dementia.
Rather than dealing with these problems, consider possible treatments, such as hearing aids, sign language for people who have extreme hearing loss, telephone amplifiers, lip reading, or a cochlear implant.
Struggling with age-related hearing loss isn’t something that anyone should have to do. You can still live a full and enjoyable life.
If you or someone you love is dealing with hearing loss, contact us today to schedule a hearing assessment!
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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