Hearing Health Problems

Hearing health problems can begin gradually as you age. According to statistics, 25% of people in the U.S between the age of 55 and 64 have some degree of hearing problems. For elderly people older than 65 years, the number of individuals with some hearing loss is 1 out of 2.
Chronic exposure to loud sound and aging are the major factors that have been seen to cause hearing problems. Other factors that can lead to hearing problems include conducted sounds and excessive earwax. Some hearing problems are permanent and cannot be reversed. However, you don’t have to live in a world of deafness. You and your hearing specialist can have solutions that can improve what you hear.

Causes of Hearing Problems
Some causes of hearing problems include wax build up, ear infection, ruptured eardrum and damage to the inner ear. To understand what causes your hearing problems, it is important to know how you hear.

How you hear
Hearing occurs immediately after sound waves reach the structures of the inner ear. The sound waves are converted into nerve signals that can be recognized by your brain. Your ear is composed of three major regions: inner ear, middle ear, and outer ear. Sound waves pass through the outer ear causing vibrations in the eardrum. The eardrum amplifies the vibrations as they move to the inner ear. These vibrations pass through cochlea which is fluid found in the inner ear.
Tiny hairs that are attached to nerves in the cochlea help convert sound vibrations into electrical signals that are then sent to your brain. Vibrations from different sounds affect the tiny airs in different ways causing nerve cells to pass different signals to your brain.
Major causes of hearing problems include:

Inner ear damage- Exposure to loud noise and aging can cause tear and wear on the nerves and hairs in the cochlea that transmit signals to your brain. Damaging or missing of nerves and hairs cannot transit signals well causing hearing healthproblems.

Earwax buildup- Buildup of earwax can block the ear canal preventing conduction of sound waves. This type of hearing problem can be corrected by removing earwax from your ears.

Ruptured eardrum- One of the danger of noise specifically loud noise is damage to the eardrum. Other things that can cause your eardrum to rupture include infection, poking the eardrum with a sharp object and sudden change in pressure.

Tumors and ear infection- Tumor development in the ear or ear infection can block your ear, causing hearing problems.

Risk Factors
Factors that may increase your risk of getting hearing health problems include:

Family - Hereditary traits or genetic makeup can make you susceptible to ear damage from other factors such as aging and loud noise.

Aging- Aging can lead to degeneration of delicate inner ear structures

Loud noise- Exposure to loud noise beyond hearing sound limits can cause damage to your eardrum. Example of such noise include that from a gunshot.

Recreational noise- Loud noises such as that from jet engines and firearms can cause permanent damage to your ears.

Occupational noises- Loud and repeated noise from working environments such as factories can cause permanent damage to your ears.

Illnesses- Some illnesses such as meningitis and high fever can cause damage to your cochlea leading to hearing problems

Medications- Some medications such as chemotherapy drugs and antibiotics can cause damage to your inner ear affecting your hearing temporarily.

Source 

Symptoms of Hearing Problems

Common signs and symptoms of hearing health problems include:
·          
  •       Difficulty hearing consonants
  •          Avoiding social settings
  •          Muffling of some sounds and speech
  •          Trouble understanding words especially in noisy environments
  •          Withdrawal from conversations
  •          Turning radio or television sounds louder when other are comfortable with it
  •          Frequently asking others to speak loudly or clearly


Complicationsof Hearing Health Problems

Some of the effects linked to health hearing problemsinclude:
·         
  •       Depression or stress
  •          Stress
  •          Irritability
  •      Fatigue and tension
  •         Withdrawal and avoidance from social environments
  •         Loneliness and social rejection
  •         Impaired memory plus inability to learn new tasks
  •        Impaired psychological and overall health
  •         Reduced alertness
  •         Decreased job performance
  •          Increased risk to personal safety


Hearing problems are not only for elderly people. It can affect anyone at any time and age. For younger people, hearing problems can be mild or moderate, which can result in learning difficulties, speech development, and building of interpersonal skills that are necessary to promote self-esteem and succeed in school work.

Solutions to hearing health problems
In case you have hearing health problems, there are available solutions for your problem. Treatment for your hearing health condition depends on the cause and severity of your hearing problem.
Some of the possible solutions include:
1       
  •      Removing earwax blockage- Removal of earwax blockage is one solution for hearing problems as a result of accumulated wax in your ears. This is a reversible cause of hearing problems that can be rectified easily. Your physician or hearing expert mayremove earwax by loosening it with natural oil and the removing or scooping it.
  •      Surgical treatment- Surgery is very necessary in case you have a repeated ear infection or you had a traumatic ear injury. In case of an infection, small tubes are inserted to help drain the ears.
  •        Hearing devices- Hearing aids are used in case you have damage to your inner ear. Hearing aids or devices help to make sounds stronger and easier to hear. You will discuss with your doctor about the benefits using hearing devices and recommend a device that will fit you.
  •        Cochlear implants- Cochlear implants are necessary if you have severe hearing problems. Unlike the hearing devices that amplifies the sound and transmit it to the nerves, a cochlear implant compensates for nonworking or damaged parts of your inner ear. In case you consider cochlea implant as your option, your doctor or hearing specialist will discuss with you the benefits and risks of having an implant before going through the procedure.
Source


Benefits of treating your hearing problems include:
·         Reduction of stress or depression
·         Improved self confidence
·         Overall improved outlook in life

·         Improved relationship with loved ones
Location: New York, NY, USA

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