Does hearing loss get worse as you age? Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent conditions affecting all adults as they age, but it’s a slow process. Actually, over 50% of individuals 75 and older have difficulty hearing.
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 to happen, but it is typically considered a combination of many factors.
Changes occur in our inner ear as we get older. There are tiny hair cells in your ears that pick up waves of sound and transmit the signals to the brain to be interpreted as sound.
When these tiny hair cells become damaged or destroyed, hearing loss is the outcome. These hair cells don’t regenerate or grow back, so any hearing loss is irreversible.
The following are some causes of hearing loss:
- Smoking increases the risk of hearing loss.
- Hearing loss risk is increased by specific drugs including chemotherapy drugs.
- Wearing headphones when listening to loud music can increase the risk.
- Hearing loss runs in familiess.
- Specific medical disorders like diabetes can lead to hearing loss.
- Loud noises like going to concerts frequently or working in a setting with consistent loud noise.
Common symptoms of age-related hearing loss
Typical symptoms of presbycusis include lack of clearness when people speak, difficulty hearing soft voices like kids, and difficulty hearing when there is background sound.
Other signs 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.
The importance of treating age-related hearing loss
Quality of life will be negatively affected by neglected hearing loss. Untreated hearing loss is connected to depression, despair, stress, cognitive decline, poor social relationships, and the risk of dementia.
These issues can, to a great degree, be avoided by getting your hearing loss treated with solutions like hearing aids, telephone amplifiers, lip reading, a cochlear implant, or if your hearing loss is extreme, sign language.
No one should suffer with age-related hearing loss. There are ways to take pleasure in your life again.
If you or someone you love is struggling with hearing loss, contact us today to schedule a hearing assessment!
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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