Hearing loss is one of life’s inevitabilities as we reach our later years. Hearing loss due to ageing, known as presbycusis, begins from around 30-40 years old, and by the time most people reach 80 they may have experienced significant hearing loss.
Approximately 10 million people in the UK currently suffer from hearing loss, and many experience feelings of social isolation as a result. In 2015, the NHS controversially made plans to ration access to hearing aid devices as a cost saving. In some areas, NHS hearing aids will only be provided to those suffering hearing loss in both ears, and other areas are introducing eligibility criteria that will deny hearing aids to those with mild to moderate hearing loss.
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Hearing loss happens gradually, which can make it harder to identify and on average it takes people over 10 years to detect their hearing loss, during which time their hearing will significantly worsen. Vivienne Michael, Chief Executive of Deafness Research UK encourages visiting your GP regularly to get your hearing checked, as the earlier hearing problems are detected, the more treatable it is.
As with many ailments, prevention is often better than cure—especially in this case, if treatment is becoming less accessible.
Turn it down
One of the most common causes of hearing loss is exposure to loud noise, and damage caused by noise is usually irreversible. Experts agree that continued exposure to noise above 85dB (similar to a lawn mower) could cause hearing loss over time. The advice is to keep your television, radio and music at a suitable volume—you should be able to have a conversation with someone who is two metres away from you, and you shouldn’t hear ringing after listening to music. This is particularly important if there are young children in the house, as their ears are more delicate than an adult’s.
Use protection
If you work in a noisy environment, such as a building site, garage workshop or the emergency services, it’s important to protect your ears, as you will be exposed to much louder noises. Earmuffs and earplugs can help muffle the noise, and can prevent damage to your hearing.
An apple a day
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined associations between the intake of antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamins C and E and magnesium, in relation to prevent hearing loss. The results showed that higher intakes of these antioxidants and magnesium are associated with lower risks of hearing loss, so be sure to include fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet, particularly those with higher vitamin C and E content such as citrus fruits, dark leafy greens, bell peppers and tomatoes.
60:60 rule
Noise-related hearing loss is becoming increasingly common in younger people, thought to be due to iPods and other portable music devices. Be sure that you listen to your music at no more than 60 percent of the maximum volume, for no more than 60 minutes a day. Most MP3 players bought within the EU have a ‘smart volume’ feature (iPods, iPhones and most androids have this feature) to help regulate the volume. It’s also worth noting that cheaper headphones don’t transmit bass well, so it’s worth investing in good quality headphones to protect your hearing and improve the sound quality.
Check it out
As mentioned above, it takes people over 10 years to address their hearing loss as many adjust to the gradual change in hearing levels, by turning up the television or music, which can ultimately make hearing worse. If you notice a change in your hearing, visit your GP who will perform an examination of your ears with an instrument with a light at the end called an auriscope to look for anything abnormal, such as earwax blockages or infections.
Decibel by decibel
Whilst we all know that loud noises can damage our hearing, (the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says that noise levels above 150 decibels (dB) can damage your hearing if endured for more than 15 minutes a week), lower levels, between 80dB and 90dB can also cause permanent damage if you’re exposed to them for hours every day. As we obviously can’t accurately measure the decibels around us, here’s our handy guide to show the average level of decibels in everyday sounds:
- normal conversation: 60-65dB
- a busy street: 75-85dB
- lawn mower/heavy traffic: 85dB
- forklift truck: 90dB
- hand drill: 98dB
- heavy lorry about seven metres away: 95-100dB
- motorbikes: 100dB
- cinema: some films regularly top 100dB during big action scenes
- disco/nightclub/car horn: 110dB
- MP3 player on loud: 112dB
- chainsaw: 115-120dB
- rock concert/ambulance siren: 120dB
