One persistent myth about hearing loss is that it is mostly caused by noise. While noise-induced hearing loss is a common phenomenon and does pose a threat to many people, it is only one part of the picture. It is quite possible (and common) to experience problematic hearing loss as the result of an aggregate of causes. Noise exposure is …
It’s May again, and that means it’s Better Hearing and Speech Month! Each year, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) celebrates Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM) to spread awareness of hearing loss and other speech-language disorders. Whether you’re concerned that you or someone you love may have hearing loss, or you just have questions about hearing loss or hearing protection, …
Roughly one out of four deaths in the U.S.—about 659,000 per year—are the result of cardiovascular disease. It is safe to say that heart health is nearly tantamount to overall health, and the means of maintaining heart health are fairly well-understood at this point. Regular exercise (3 sessions per week), a healthy diet high in vegetables and lean meat, and …
Until a cure for sensorineural hearing loss is discovered, protecting our hearing ability is the only way to ensure we keep as much of our hearing as possible throughout the course of our lives. While age-related hearing loss will affect the majority of us by the time we reach our 70s, we can minimize its impact by avoiding loud sound …
The link between hearing loss and dementia has been in the news a lot lately. That’s because it’s big news, and it’s starting to change the game in terms of hearing protection and amplification. The World Health Organization (WHO) put hearing loss at the top of a list of twelve modifiable risk factors at play in the development of Alzheimer’s …
Hearing loss is a common problem, affecting about 14% of Americans, especially those over age 60. Many people first realize they have a hearing issue when background noise is present, as background sound makes it harder for even those with normal hearing to understand speech. For those with hearing loss, it can be downright impossible. Those with even mild hearing …
Hearing loss is an all-too-common problem for Americans, affecting about 14% of the total population. As we age, hearing loss becomes more and more likely, though many people working in high-risk professions are likely to experience problematic hearing loss well before retirement age. For those who begin to experience hearing loss while still in the workforce, it can pose additional …
Cognitive decline is one of the main concerns for those with hearing loss. Studies in the last decade have found that hearing loss is a major predictor of whether a person will experience Alzheimer’s or dementia, and the World Health Organization (WHO) went so far as to name hearing loss the #1 (out of 12) modifiable risk factor in the …
Our ears are delicate instruments that can be affected by many environmental and internal factors. Everything from loud noise to poor diet can cause hearing loss, including smoking, too much caffeine, not enough exercise, various chemicals and medications, and perhaps even normal aging. Some audiologists do debate about whether “age-related hearing loss”—or “presbycusis”—is a real condition or a phenomenon that …
In a study among people aged 40 to 69, researchers found that a hearing loss of 25 decibels triples the chance of falling. That might seem like quite a bit of decibel loss, but it is quite unnoticeable, it’s about the drop needed to take a person from normal to mild hearing loss, which is notoriously hard to self-diagnose. …