During the course of our lives, we go through so many changes. We may end up doing a job that could cause our hearing to decrease over time. Sometimes, it can be because of an accident, infection or even as simple as listening to music with headphones. We don’t realize it at the time, but listening to music this way will affect our hearing later on in life, especially when it’s really loud, which a lot of young people tend to do.
There are many reasons for hearing loss, so let’s take a look at several of these.
1. Birth
When a woman is pregnant, it’s really important that she has regular checkups to help monitor her child and of course, herself as well. Unfortunately, sometimes things can go wrong through no fault of anyone in particular. A baby may be born premature or suffer some kind of trauma and this could cause partial or complete hearing loss. It’s also thought that maternal diabetes and neonatal jaundice can cause hearing loss in babies.
If the mother had a viral infection, such as German measles, this can cause a baby to suffer damage to his or her hearing.
2. Medicine
Certain medications can cause hearing loss as well. Whenever we take medication, especially something new, we tend to be concerned by side effects. Sometimes, it’s just the luck of the draw. Out of a hundred people taking a medication, perhaps two may be affected. Even something like aspirin could potentially cause this, but it has to be taken in large quantities, such as over 10 a day. Drugs such as gentamicin and streptomycin can cause severe hearing loss.
Some cancer medications are also capable of causing damage to hearing. Unfortunately, there’s no real way of knowing if it will affect you and sometimes, it’s a catch-22 situation, like with cancer. Is hearing or life more important? It’s quite a dilemma to be in.
3. Aging Process
This is something we all go through. Some people are lucky while others go through problems earlier. Even if you take care of your hearing and try to be careful, as we age, our hearing can deteriorate. As we get older, we don’t produce as many inner hair cells as we used to and these cells are responsible for being sensitive to sounds.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing that can be done to prevent or reverse this. It’s just a matter of compensating as best we can by using hearing aids, for example.
4. Infections
An ear infection can cause hearing loss that may be temporary or permanent. Sometimes, we may get an infection in the ear that can have an effect on our hearing, but once the infection clears, hearing will improve and return to normal. However, some infections may be severe enough that, unless it’s dealt with quickly, it can be permanent.
Children may tend to get ear infections and it’s important to deal with it promptly. If it’s severe and left untreated, especially the middle and inner ear, damage can unfortunately be permanent.
5. Noise Exposure
Certain jobs can have a devastating effect on hearing. People in jobs where there is constant noise from machinery or at the airport will always face this risk. Even if the noise is not terribly loud, as long as it’s constant and on a daily basis, one can expect to have hearing loss over time.
People working in these jobs need to take breaks from the noise as well as wear protection for their ears. Some famous rock musicians have suffered hearing loss. Don’t forget, this is their job, after all. They play and tour constantly all over the world and stand within close proximity to speakers and amplifiers that make them sitting ducks. Musicians like Ozzy Osbourne, Pete Townshend, Neil Young and Phil Collins have all suffered hearing loss.
If you’ve suffered from hearing loss, there are ways to cope. The best thing to do is to seek help from an audiologist. You may have become less confident, less social, less involved in conversations and may not enjoy other activities because of hearing loss. While it’s a terrible thing to go through, getting the best advice on your options can make a huge difference so that you get back some confidence and enjoy life again.