As We Get Older, Why Do We Lose Our Hearing?

As we get older, many struggle with the issue of losing our hearing, leaving us feeling frustrated, confused and handicapped. As with most issues, getting a grasp on why it happens and how to deal with the problem is the best way to carry on. There are innumerable causes that can be tied to presbycusis, hearing loss that is directly attributable to aging, and it can be difficult to peg it to any particular one. There are several different contributors to it that we can make an effectual difference on, but there are also many more causes that we cannot influence one way or the other.

One of the influential factors in the onset of age-induced hearing loss is widely thought to be heredity. You may find yourself with increased odds of hearing loss if your parents or grandparents experienced the same type of issues when they got older.

Naturally, people whose line of employment has them in noisy environs and frequently being in the presence of loud noises increases the chances of losing hearing. Similarly, if you listen to music at a high volume for extended periods of time you will increase your risk.

Other issues that can put you at a greater risk for hearing impairment is your age, gender or race. No decided upon cutoff exists for when hearing impairment is decided to be related to aging, but it is uncommon for individuals to receive this diagnosis before the age of 50. The chances of suffering from hearing impairment increase with age, to some extent, and it is believed that 50% of people over 65 suffer from this issue.

As far as sex is concerned, men seem to be more at risk for the condition than women. The variance between the sexes increases notably with age, and according to studies conducted by the National Academy on Aging Society 60% of all people that have hearing impairment are men.

Race may also provide a crucial link as whites have a higher risk than do similarly aged blacks and the gap only increases with age. Whites have 91% of the hearing impairment issues in the United States, but only make up 83% of the population as a whole according the NAAS.

The way that your inner ear is structured and changes with age can affect the hearing that you may lose. We are able to hear sounds that are high-pitched because of the portion of the ear that is called the cochlea, which often changes with age. We interpret sound due to the cochlea which is comprised of tiny hairs that sense a vibration and changes them to nerve signals that we hear as sound. These hairs are lost over the course of time and the nerve endings may deaden as a part of aging. This hearing loss is irreversible because the hairs will never grow back once they are lost.

Loss of flexibility in the cochlea and harm done to the acoustic nerve are a few more examples of changes that may occur in the ear that can lead to presbycusis.

Nowadays, hearing aids aren’t as obvious as they once were. Today’s hearing aids feature some highly advanced sound technology, and many of them are practically invisible. You can even get OTC hearing aids. Discover more about the options available to you at Hearing Aids Online.

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