Noise Induced Hearing Loss

What is Noise Induced Hearing Loss?

  Currently ten million people in the United States suffer from hearing loss cause by noise.  This damage can come from many different sources ranging from attending concerts or being near explosions.  The damage acquired tends to come from either moderately loud noises heard over a long period of time, or brief bursts of extra loud noise.  The longer that an individual is exposed, or the louder the noise, the more likely the person is to be diagnosed with noise induced hearing loss.  In many cases, both ears are harmed, but it's possible to only have one ear lose hearing.  The noise causes damage to the hair cells inside the inner ear.  Overuse of these important cells causes them to slowly die and are never able to be repaired.  The hairs are used to transmit electrical impulses to the brain to be interpreted as sound.  When these hair cells die, they are no longer in use and the brain never receives these signals, resulting in hearing loss.  After the damage, there is no way to surgically correct this loss.

Who is Effected?

   Many of these cases are diagnosed in the work setting.  The reason for this being that many of these individuals are exposed to the same loud noise for an eight-hour shift.  Work is not the only place that this damage tends to occur.  In recent research, more young teenagers are reporting signs of noise induced hearing loss.  There are as many as 12.5% of children with reported noise induced hearing loss.  This increased loss of hearing in children is said to be due to the new age technology and ability to turn up the volume on personal headphones without anyone else hearing.  This is proof that noise induced hearing loss effects anyone, no matter their age.  

How Can I Prevent Noise Induced Hearing Loss? 

  Good news is that this damage is preventable!  There are many precautions that can be taken to avoid noise induced hearing loss.  The main way to prevent hearing loss is to educate yourself and be aware of your surroundings.  Many simple fixes include turning down the volume on loud music, or moving away from the source, if the option of turning it down isn't available.  A way to avoid damage in the work place specifically would be to use earplugs or wear noise-canceling headphones.  Another way to avoid hearing loss is to limit the exposure to these damaging loud noises.  It's important to implement these techniques early to prevent any possible noise induced hearing loss.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

   http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/noise/

US Department of Health and Human Services

   http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/noise.aspx

American Hearing Research Foundation 

   http://american-hearing.org/disorders/noise-induced-hearing-loss/