Noise Deteriorates Hearing
When we think of leading a healthy life we never quite think about taking care of our hearing. Our sense of hearing is one of the things we generally tend to take for granted, and many times we do not even realize we have a hearing problem until it is too late. We live in a noisy world these days and are constantly bombarded with loud sounds that can damage our hearing.
To get a realistic picture of how bad the hearing problem is in America, it might surprise you to know that approximately 10 million Americans suffer from hearing loss as a result of prolonged exposure to noise. In addition to this already large number, between thirty to fifty million Americans are constantly being exposed to extremely high levels of noise which can ultimately lead to hearing loss over time.
Not being able to hear may not cause as much alarm until it is truly happening to us. Imagine for a moment that you can hear your spouse’s lips move, but are unable to hear the sweet nothings they are whispering to you. Imagine looking at your grandchild and watching them giggle, but being unable to hear that heart-warming laugh.
Hearing loss is a gradual process and thus takes years before people actually realize they are losing their hearing. The initial symptoms begin when high pitched sounds slowly stop being heard, and this later progresses to low pitched sounds as well. Hearing loss usually affects both ears since we are equally surrounded by noisy environments.
The problem with hearing loss is that due to the lack of an external sign of any apparent damage, people often tend to ignore their hearing problem since they cannot feel any pain or see any gory visual symptoms. This tends to delay the treatment process further and can deteriorate your sense of hearing to a large extent before you finally seek treatment.
We cannot escape the noise levels these days since we are constantly surrounded by them. Be it fireworks or traffic, aircrafts or motorcycles, people are bombarded with loud sounds on a daily basis. In addition to environmental noises, people voluntarily tend to damage their hearing by exposing themselves to loud music via personal audio devices, rock concerts, and loud sporting events.
Unfortunately, hearing loss is an irreversible problem since the delicate sensory hair cells within the ear cannot be repaired or regenerated. It may thus be a sobering realization to begin taking care of your hearing while you still can since hearing loss is a preventable problem.
People can take simple steps to keep their hearing intact, even in today’s noisy world. Actions like turning down the volume of your television or audio device can help prevent unnecessary strain on the ears. You can also use additional protection such as using earplugs or earmuffs prior to exposing yourself to noisy environments. Hearing loss is a permanent problem, but you can continue enjoying your sense of hearing if you simply take care of your hearing health like you would with the rest of your body.