Does hearing loss worsen as you age? Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions impacting all adults as they age, but it is a gradual process. Half of people over the age of 75 have trouble with their hearing, as a matter of fact.
Presbycusis
Presbycusis is defined as age-related hearing loss or the slow process of hearing loss as we get older. There’s no one definitive cause for this occurrence, but it is usually considered a combination of many factors.
As we age, 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 interpret sound.
The beginning of hearing loss takes place when the hair cells are damaged or destroyed. These hair cells don’t restore or grow back, so any hearing loss is irreversible.
Some of the triggers of hearing loss include the following:
- Hearing loss can be genetics.
- Hearing loss can be the outcome of several medical conditions, including diabetes.
- Exposure to loud noise frequently over long time periods.
- The risk of hearing loss is raised by smoking.
- Particular medications including chemotherapy drugs raise the risk.
- The risk of hearing loss is increased by regularly listening to loud music, especially with headphones.
Some typical symptoms of age-related hearing loss
When you have a hard time hearing soft voices, children’s voices, voices when there is a lot of background noise, and a general lack of clarity when someone 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.
Dealing with age-related hearing loss is important
Quality of life will be negatively impacted by untreated hearing loss. Untreated hearing loss is connected to depression, sadness, stress, mental decline, poor social relationships, and the risk of dementia.
Instead of these problems, think about possible treatments, including 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 anyone should have to do. You can still have a full and enjoyable life.
If you or somebody you love is dealing with hearing loss, contact us today to schedule a hearing assessment!
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
