Does hearing loss worsen as you age? Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions impacting all adults as they get older, but it’s a slow process. Actually, over one half of individuals 75 and older have trouble hearing.
Presbycusis
The slowly advancing condition of hearing loss as we age is commonly known as presbycusis. Normally, there will be a combination of elements contributing to this condition.
Changes occur in our inner ear as we grow older. There are little hair cells in your ears that detect waves of sound and communicate the signals to the brain to be interpreted as sound.
The beginning of hearing loss happens when the hair cells are damaged or destroyed. These hair cells don’t restore or grow back, so any hearing loss is irreversible.
The following are some causes of hearing loss:
- Heredity plays a factor in hearing loss.
- Smoking increases the risk of hearing loss.
- Wearing headphones when listening to loud music can increase the risk.
- Exposure to loud noise frequently over long periods of time.
- Particular medications including chemotherapy drugs increase the risk.
- Certain medical conditions like diabetes can lead to hearing loss.
Some common symptoms of age-related hearing loss
When you have a tough time hearing soft voices, kid’s voices, voices when there is a lot of background noise, and a general lack of resolution when somebody talks are all symptoms of Presbycusis.
Additionally, elevating the TV volume, asking people to repeat what they said, and ringing in your ears can also be signs of hearing loss.
The benefit of treating age-related hearing loss
Untreated hearing loss decreases quality of life. Untreated hearing loss is connected to depression, sadness, anxiousness, cognitive decline, diminishing social relationships, and the risk of dementia.
Rather than dealing with these issues, consider possible treatments, like hearing aids, sign language for individuals who have extreme hearing loss, telephone amplifiers, lip reading, or a cochlear implant.
Suffering with age-related hearing loss isn’t something that anybody should have to do. You can still live a complete and enjoyable life.
Contact us today to schedule your hearing test and to talk about the best treatments for your hearing loss or for somebody you love.
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