Do you have hearing loss? If so, do you sometimes find that it seems like work just to understand what the people around you are saying? You are not alone. The feeling that listening and understanding is taxing work is common among individuals with hearing loss – even the ones that use hearing aids.

As though that wasn’t bad news enough, it might not be just your ability to hear that is affected, but also cognitive functions. Contemporary research studies have established that there is a solid association between hearing loss and your risk of contracting dementia and Alzheimer’s.

One such study was conducted by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine on 639 individuals between the ages of 36 and 90 16-year period. The data showed that 58 study volunteers – 9% of the total – had developed dementia and 37 – 6 percent of the total – had developed Alzheimer’s disease. Investigators found that for every ten decibels of hearing loss, the participants’ odds of developing dementia went up by 20 percent; the more significant the degree of hearing loss, the higher their chance of dementia.

In a similar research study, surveying 1,984 participants, investigators found a similar connection between dementia and hearing loss, but they also found that the hearing-impaired experienced noticeable decreases in their cognitive functions. Compared to individuals with normal hearing, those with hearing impairment developed memory loss 40 percent faster. In both studies, a far more dismaying finding was that this association was not lessened by using hearing aids.

Scientists have proposed several hypotheses to explain the association between hearing loss and loss of cognitive capabilities. One explanation is associated with the question at the beginning of this article, and has been given the name cognitive overload. Some researchers suspect that if you are hearing impaired, your brain tires itself just trying to hear that it has a diminished capacity to understand what is being said. The resulting lack of comprehension can cause social isolation, a factor that has been shown in other studies to cause dementia. Another theory is that neither dementia nor hearing loss cause the other, but that they’re both related to an as-yet-undiscovered pathological mechanism – possibly vascular, possibly genetic, possibly environmental – which causes both.

Even though these study outcomes are a little dismaying, there is hope to be found in them. If you wear hearing aids, visit your audiologist regularly to keep them fitted, adjusted, and programmed correctly, so that you are not straining to hear. The less work used in the mechanics of hearing, the more brain capacity available for comprehension. And, if it turns out that loss of hearing is an early indicator of dementia, detecting the hearing loss early might allow for early intervention to postpone the advancement.

A common question from patients concerns being able to hear in crowded rooms. They report that they don’t seem to have any problem hearing people and understanding what they say when they are speaking to them one-on-one, or even in small groups. Not so in crowded situations. Whether in large public space outdoors such as a football game or indoors at a party, they report being unable to distinguish the speakers’ voice over the background noise. This is true even when the speaker is close by and addressing them directly. People who complain of this also often mention having trouble hearing the consonants “S,” “F,” and “H,” no longer being able to distinguish one from the other.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, there is a possibility that you may have suffered some form or high-frequency hearing loss. When describing human speech, audiologists define the 3000 to 8000 Hz range as high-frequency. This is the range that the F, S, and H sounds typically fall into. In a crowded situation there are many sounds across the frequency spectrum competing with one another. Much of the background noise – such as people dancing or walking – occurs at lower frequencies. Speech is layered on top of this in the higher frequency ranges. Individuals with high-frequency hearing loss will report that the low-frequency sounds are much louder to them. To them it is as if the ‘background noise’ has been amplified relative to the human speech they are trying to focus on.

At least 18 percent of the population suffers from some form of high-frequency hearing loss. The most common cause of this is aging, but in recent years audiologists have found increasing numbers of teenagers and young adults suffering from it, possibly as a result of listening to overly loud music. High-frequency hearing loss can also be the result of diabetes, a side affect of certain prescription drugs or genetic factors.

The important thing to remember is that if you have suffered some degree of high-frequency hearing loss, it can be effectively treated. Hearing aids can be adjusted to amplify the higher frequencies and suppress lower frequencies, with the result that you can hear voices better in crowded rooms.

Before we get too far into treatment options, it is critical that you have a proper diagnosis. To find out if high-frequency hearing loss is the root cause behind your difficulty hearing in crowds, call and make a first appointment. There are other causes for this, and our specialists can perform tests to determine whether the cause in your case really is hearing loss, and if so, treat it.

Hearing loss has many forms – it might occur gradually (for example, as the result of aging) or all of a sudden (as the result of an injury or trauma). The hearing loss itself can be short-term or permanent, and may vary from mild (having trouble understanding conversations) to severe (total deafness). Moreover, a person can experience a loss of hearing in either one ear or both ears.

You will find a number of signs and symptoms linked to hearing loss, one of the more common of which is a growing difficulty hearing or understanding conversations. People’s voices may seem to be at too low a volume (as if the speakers were far away), or sound muffled . Alternatively, you might be able to hear people talking but notice that you’re having difficulty differentiating individual words; this could become more evident when multiple people are speaking, or when you are in busy rooms.

Other usual symptoms of hearing loss include increasing the volume on your TV or radio, having more difficulty hearing women’s voices than men’s, and being unable to differentiate sounds such as ‘s’ and ‘th’ from one another. If you feel pain, tenderness, or itching in your ears, have periods of dizziness or vertigo, or hear a constant buzzing or ringing sound, these symptoms can also be indications of hearing loss.

Because it can occur gradually, many people with hearing impairment are not aware of it. Or they might notice it but display “denial behaviors” to try to disguise or conceal their hearing loss from other people. Examples of these types of signs include having to ask people to repeat themselves frequently, avoiding conversations and social situations, acting as if you’ve heard stuff that you really didn’t, and emotions of isolation or depression.

If you have experienced any of these signs or symptoms, schedule an appointment with one of our specialists. We can help by starting with a hearing test to see if you do have hearing loss, and if you have, we can help determine what to do about it.

One subject which is rarely mentioned when it comes to hearing loss is how to keep people who have it safe inside their own homes. For instance, imagine that a fire breaks out in your house; if you’re like most of us you have smoke alarms to sound an alert so that you and your family can evacuate the premises before the fire becomes widespread, and thus deadly. But now suppose that the fire begins at night, when you are asleep, and you have taken off your hearing aid.

The smoke detectors standard in almost all houses and those required by city or state governments emit a loud warning sound at a frequency between 3,000 and 4,000 Hertz. Although the majority of people can hear these tones easily, these frequencies are among those most affected by age-related hearing loss and other forms of auditory problems. So even if you were awake, if you are one of the more than eleven million Americans with hearing loss, there is a chance that you wouldn’t hear the alarm.

Fortunately, there are home safety products that are specifically created for the requirements of the hearing impaired. For instance, there are smoke detectors that emit a low-frequency (520 Hertz) square wave tone that a majority of hearing-impaired individuals can hear. In case you are completely deaf without your hearing aid or when you turn off your cochlear implants (CIs), you’ll find alarm systems which use a combination of flashing lights, very loud alarms, and vibrating units that shake your bed to wake you up in an emergency. Several of these systems are intended to be incorporated into more complete home security systems to warn you of intruders or people thumping furiously on your doors in the case of an emergency.

Many who have hearing aids or who wear cochlear implants have elected to improve the performance of these devices by installing induction loops in their homes. An induction loop is merely a lengthy strand of wire that encircles your family room, bedroom, or children’s rooms, which activates the telecoils inside your devices to raise the volume of sounds, and thus may help you not to miss any important or emergency signals.

Not to mention the lowly telephone, which all of us tend to ignore until we need one, but which can become critical in any sort of emergency situation. Most modern phones now are available in models that are hearing aid and CI-compatible, which enable their easy use during either normal or extraordinary conditions. Other phone models integrate speakerphone systems with high volumes that can be easily used by the hearing impaired, and more importantly, can be voice-activated. These phones would allow you to voice-dial for assistance in an emergency situation. There are additional accessories for cellphones, such as vibrating wristbands that will alert you to an incoming phone call even if you are sleeping.

Other safety suggestions are less technological and more practical, like always having the telephone numbers of fire departments, ambulance companies, health care providers, and emergency services handy. We are as concerned about your safety as we are about your hearing, so if we can be of service with any further ideas or recommendations, feel free to call us.

Close to 6 million U.S. teenagers have some form of hearing loss, which signifies an increase of about a third over the past twenty years. While experts claim that this hearing loss is in part caused by regular exposure to high volumes of music from portable players and phones, participation in marching band is yet another contributing cause. As nearly every city high school and college has a marching band, band membership is a quite common activity among teens.

Harmful sound levels for teenagers.Volume, or noise level, is measured in decibels (dB). Adults and children can suffer hearing loss from exposure to noises in excess of 85 dB. Marching band includes a variety of instruments, some of which easily cross over that threshold during rehearsals and performances. An experiment at Duke University showed that a drumline rehearsal exposed students to decibel levels of 99 over a 30-minute period. However, playing those instruments indoors for rehearsals can be even more harmful to teens’ hearing. Unfortunately, many youths don’t reduce the volume of their instruments when playing inside.

Prevention and protection strategies. An effective solution for reducing sound levels is the use of musicians earplugs. These professional earplugs are designed to fit perfectly in the teen’s ears. However, parents often find them to be expensive. Another effective strategy for protecting young people’s hearing is to reduce the length of time they are exposed to potentially harmful sound levels by breaking up the rehearsals into shorter sessions. Increased awareness among teens and band leaders of the importance of reducing instrument sound levels when playing indoors is also key. To best protect the hearing of marching band members, a joint effort between students, band leaders, and parents is recommended.

People depend on their hearing in numerous situations, making it challenging to carry out some basic tasks if your hearing is damaged. Driving a car is one area that can cause problems for many people affected by impaired hearing. Luckily, just because you have problems with hearing does not mean that safe driving is out of the question. Keep these safe driving tips in mind the next time you get behind the wheel.

Keep your car in good shape: Abnormal noises are a typical warning sign that something is not quite right with your vehicle. If you aren‚’t able to hear when something is wrong with your engine you run the risk of driving an unsafe vehicle. Keep regular maintenance appointments with your garage or dealership to make sure your car stays in optimum condition.

Only drive when you feel comfortable: If your hearing loss makes you feel uneasy while driving it‚’s best to avoid it. There are many alternatives to owning an automobile, including public transportation. Driving while stressed or uncomfortable may make you more likely to make dangerous errors, so don‚’t get behind the wheel unless you are feeling safe and confident.

Reduce distractions: Your vision is very important when driving a car with hearing loss. Distractions that take your eyes off the road, such as food or electronic devices, can avert your eyes and put you and your passengers in danger. You‚’ll also find that it becomes more difficult to hear important traffic cues if you have the radio on while driving. Get rid of any influences that get between you and the road to make sure you aren‚’t missing crucial information.

Drive with your hearing aid in mind: If you use a hearing aid make sure that you don‚’t drive without it. Be mindful of how your car‚’s atmosphere can influence your hearing aid’s functionality. Don‚’t be afraid to switch on the AC rather than driving with the windows open. Your hearing aid can become less effective if it is buffeted by a draft from an open window, impairing your hearing and putting you at risk.

Hearing loss doesn‚’t have to keep you from driving if your doctor approves. Stay safe out there!

Missing appendages, post-traumatic stress, and brain trauma: These are what many people think of when they think about post-combat injuries. Hearing loss, though, may not often come to mind. Check out these 5 surprising facts about hearing loss among veterans to learn more.

1. Hearing loss is the most prevalent injury among post-combat veterans. – Hearing loss beats out PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) as the number one service-connected disability. IEDs (improvised explosive devices) can cause hearing damage just as much as commonplace military noise can. The deafening sounds of tank, plane, and ship engines contributes to temporary to permanent hearing loss and tinnitus, as do explosive devices and other loud weapons. Veterans of the post-9/11 conflicts are the most affected population in terms of hearing loss. In fact, 414,000 post 9/11 soldiers have come home with some form of tinnitus or hearing loss.

• More veterans have hearing loss than non-veterans. – Veterans are 30 percent more likely than nonveterans to suffer hearing loss of the severe kind. Worse yet, those who served after 9/11 were found to be four times more likely to be afflicted with some sort of hearing impairment than nonveterans.

• Hearing loss may be more prevalent now than it was for soldiers in the past. – Since IEDs (improvised explosive devices) have become more commonplace and weapons become bigger and louder, more soldiers are losing their hearing. Field generators and powerful “bunker buster” bombs are extremely loud and dangerous to the ears. Even helicopters can cause loss of hearing.

• Unfortunately, many of the soldiers who come home with loss of hearing do not seek help. – Most soldiers with hearing damage or tinnitus avoid seeking out help for their injury upon returning home, according to experts. They often let it go for long periods of time. Incredibly, the average time between someone noticing hearing damage and getting help for it is 7 years.

• Neuroscience innovations may be a way to alleviate severe tinnitus. – Tinnitus cannot be cured completely at this time. However, it’s severity may be linked to maladies caused by serotonin loss, such as depression, sleeplessness, and anxiety. Some veterans with tinnitus have found that anti-depressants combined with other tinnitus therapies eased their chronic condition significantly.

Hearing loss can happen at any age. In fact, nearly 12 percent of kids age 6 through 19 have noise induced hearing loss according to the American Academy of Audiology. The birth defect occurring most frequently in our country is hearing loss. According to the American Speech and Language Association, that number translates to around 12,000 kids each year who are born with hearing loss.

Some hearing loss in kids can be reversible.
– Hearing loss could be a temporary problem in some children resulting from issues such as ear wax occluding the middle ear, or ear infections. Some conditions resulting in hearing loss are temporary and can be resolved with medical treatment or minor surgery. Chronic (long term) ear infections could cause permanent hearing loss so be sure you seek professional help early on if ear infections are suspected.

Early intervention can improve language skills in children with hearing loss. – Early identification and assessment of hearing losses is vital. Studies have shown that infants whose hearing loss is detected after 6 months of age did comparably worse on language skill development compared to infants where the loss was detected and treated before 6 months.

Hearing loss could delay language development. – Language development in the brain of children is at its highest level between age 0 and 3. Young children need to have proper hearing function in order to develop normal speech patterns. Good language skills are very important in order for a young child to learn how to read.

Not all hearing loss is permanent. – There are types of hearing loss that are preventable, including noise related damage to the hearing. It’s important to learn how to use protective gear such as earplugs and earmuffs to prevent loud noises from causing damage. And, be sure to keep the volume down on electronic devices.

Hearing loss signs and symptoms are often times initially observed by parents.
– In many instances parents are the very first to notice something is not quite right in young kids with hearing loss. Signs to watch for include: response to music and making jabbering sounds. At 9 months your baby should respond to the sound of his/her name, repeat back some noises he/she hears and follow simple commands. Be sure to ask your hearing specialist or audiologist for a more conclusive list of signs and symptoms to watch for, as well as his/her recommendation on when your child should have a professional hearing screening.