Any sound over 85 decibels is capable of causing noise-induced hearing loss over time. If possible, you want to avoid sounds that approach that range. To be safe, you should limit your exposure to sounds under 75 decibels. No matter how long or frequently you hear sounds under 75 decibels, you will likely not experience any noise-induced hearing loss.
Hearing Damage
Good hearing depends on a series of events that change sound waves into electrical signals that travel through our cells and nerves to our brains. When the hair cells (cilia) or auditory nerves that make this happen are damaged, your hearing is affected. Most people think of hearing loss (deafness) when the ear is damaged, but you can have other symptoms, too. You may hear a ringing or roaring sound. Most cases of hearing damage in those over 65 are caused by aging and heredity, but doctors are increasingly concerned about hearing damage in young patients, such as those who are exposed to loud on-the-job noises or recreational noise). It's important to understand the causes of hearing loss and what you can do to prevent it.
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Hearing loss can definitely be trying. My father is extremely hard of hearing. It took years for us to encourage him to get a test done for hearing aids. He was honestly too cheap to pay for the aids. It got to the point that we were all so tired of yelling or repeating ourselves that many of us stopped calling as much or coming to visit as often because it was trying.
It is hard to stay away from someone you love, but it was the only thing we could do for him to realize how important it was for him to get his ears done. My mother finally got tired of having her kids stay away all because of his hearing problem that she made the appointment for him. He did go and found out that the aids were more reasonably priced that he had in his mind. The first time he put on his aids he was so surprised that he could hear what he could. He then started to yell at all of us that we were speaking too loud. He did apologize for waiting so long.
For people that are resistant like this, I do say that a little tough love is in store to get a person to realize they need some help. In addition, for those in a financial hardship, giving out information for financial assistance is important, even if it meant handing out a phone number or two. The more information a person has the better. And then sometimes, it is a matter of making that appointment ourselves and taking the person there. In reality, there is only so much we can do, but I do feel that a little stubbornness on our parts to resort from catering to the hearing loss is beneficial in the long run.
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Since noise-induced hearing loss reduces the volume and what you hear, a hearing aid makes up for that loss by acting as a miniature amplification system in your ear. They use tiny microphones that catch sounds that your naked ear might miss. These sounds are transferred to a small speaker that rests in your ear canal. Hearing aids, however, will not help with the warping and lack of clarity that you may experience with sounds. But modern digital hearing aids do use a computer chip to moderate volume and amplify particular ranges of sound to sharpen hearing. -
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If your conductive hearing loss is caused by an earwax blockage, occasionally people try an alternative treatment called ear candling to remove the wax. For this treatment, a hot, thin piece of candle wax is put in the ear. People believe that the ear wax will stick to the candle wax and be pulled out with the candle. This treatment, however, is considered dangerous and rarely recommended.
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There are no alternative treatments for hearing damage. The severity and extent of hearing damage varies widely, which means treatments vary widely as well. Damage can be temporary or permanent, partial or complete. The only effective treatments for hearing damage include doing nothing when the damage is anticipated to heal itself; surgery, particularly for a ruptured eardrum that will not heal on its own; and learning new ways to communicate or using hearing aids when hearing damage results in hearing loss.
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There is no cure and no alternative treatment for Usher syndrome. However some researchers report that people with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), one of the symptoms of Usher syndrome, have slowed the progression of RP through high doses of vitamin A. Before taking high doses of vitamin A, discuss this treatment with your doctor.
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The inner-ear damage associated with noise-induced hearing loss is irreversible. As it is, the only standard treatments are coping methods, like hearing aids and cochlear implants, which help amplify sounds; there is no treatment that will help you organically recover your hearing. There are alternative coping methods to hearing aids and implants, however. The most common is sign language, which you can learn to help you communicate with others if your noise-induced hearing loss becomes particularly severe.
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There is no specific alternative way of treating post-lingual deafness. Popular non-invasive ways of helping people affected with post-lingual deafness include courses in sign language and lip reading. These courses impact communication and aid people who have already learned and spoke a language to adjust to a world with limited sound.
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Alternative therapies cannot treat sensorineural hearing loss or improve your ability to hear sounds. Sign language, lip reading, and assistive listening devices can all help you cope with severe hearing loss. Therapy may help those with sensorineural hearing loss cope with the feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, frustration, and isolation that can occur in for those with hearing impairments.
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Hearing loss has several risk factors you can consider to determine your risk. First, if you have a family history of hearing loss such as a parent with hearing loss, you may have a greater chance of experiencing the same. Also, if you have been exposed to loud noises such as high volume music at rock concerts or if you use power equipment or experience work-related noise, you may be at risk for hearing loss.
In addition, if you have taken or take an ototoxic drug for another health problem, you may suffer hearing loss as a side effect of this medication. Ototoxic drugs include some antibiotics, loop diuretics, antineoplastic drugs, antimalerial drugs and salicylates such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin. While hearing loss as a result of taking ototoxic drugs may be temporary, it is usually permanent.
Other risk factors for hearing loss include certain health conditions such as circulation problems, heart disease, diabetes, and/or thyroid problems. In addition, if you are a veteran, soldier or military personnel who has been exposed to loud blasts or intense noise, including explosions and gunfire, over a period of time, you have a higher risk of hearing loss.