Hearing loss can be caused by several different factors including aging, injury, noise exposure, and even heredity. Those factors affect the auditory nerve, causing sensorineural hearing loss, which is the most common type of hearing loss. But there is a second, less common type of hearing loss, known as conductive hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss affects the outer or middle ear rather than the auditory nerve, the way sensorineural hearing loss does. Conductive hearing loss ...
Until recently, if you wanted to be treated for hearing loss or get hearing aids, you had one choice — see an audiologist or other licensed hearing healthcare professional. Today, the options have definitely gotten more complicated, with online-only retailers, big-box stores, and numerous new or unexpected companies now advertising hearing loss solutions. Here’s the thing, though — seeing a hearing professional is still the best way to be treated for hearing loss or get hearing ...
Loneliness and social isolation have been getting their fair share of attention lately. For good reason. Covid has made both more prevalent. And both are increasingly linked to numerous physical and mental health issues, including: • 50 percent increased risk of dementia • 32 percent increased risk of stroke • 29 percent increased risk of heart disease • Higher rates of depression and anxiety • Even earlier death Truth be told, as social creatures, humans just aren’t wired to ...
Exposure to loud noise is the second leading cause of hearing loss — after aging. It’s also one of the only causes that are preventable. We can’t do anything about aging or heredity. But we can minimize our exposure to noise, or at least take steps to protect our hearing. As a society, we’ve come a long way in taking hearing protection seriously. Ask an older adult about wearing hearing protection “back in ...
When people find out I’m a hearing professional, they’ll often ask me some version of the following: “I can’t hear the kids in the backseat when we’re in the car. They’re trying to tell me about their day or ask me questions, but all I can do is nod and smile. Is there anything I can do to hear better in the car?” Hearing in the car is a very ...
For those who need convincing that hearing aids are worth the investment, today’s hearing statistic is one data point among many that should help convince you they are. A recent investigation on healthcare cost trends concluded that older adults with untreated hearing loss used healthcare services more — and subsequently spent more on healthcare — than peers without hearing loss over a 10-year period. A New York Times article noted that this 10-year increase amounted to ...
The best place to buy new hearing aids has always been and probably will always be in person from a hearing professional. Hearing-care services are almost always bundled in with the cost of hearing aids when you buy them from a hearing professional. That’s because hearing professionals know that getting used to wearing hearing aids takes time, practice and one or more adjustments to get them fine tuned to a wearer’s specific hearing ...
Cerumen, commonly known as earwax, is key to a healthy ear. It collects dirt, debris and bacteria, preventing unwanted foreign bodies from entering the ear. It has lubrication properties to keep the ears from getting dry and itchy. And, it acts as an antifungal and antibacterial, helping to fight infections in and around our ears. But, let’s face it, earwax is also kind of blech, and an unpleasant obstacle to keeping your ears clean ...
OK, think back to a year or so ago. Remember when you would go to a matinee and then after, when it ended and you left the theater, the daylight would overwhelm you temporarily? Well, the same thing happens when you first start wearing hearing aids. Your brain has gotten used to the quiet. It hasn’t received proper noise signals for as long as you’ve struggled to hear. So, when you begin wearing ...
There are many signs of hearing loss — but one of the first signs that your hearing is going is if you can hear fine in quiet environments yet struggle to hear in noise. Here’s why. Even for people with normal hearing, noisy settings can be tricky to navigate when trying to make out speech. That’s because we all use contextual cues during conversations — or clues from words we do make out — to fill ...