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About 8.5 percent of adults between the ages of 55 and 64 suffer from hearing loss, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. That number jumps to 25 percent for those 65 to 74, and it doubles to 50 percent for ages 75 and older. After high blood pressure and arthritis, hearing loss is the most common chronic condition affecting senior health.
Age-related hearing loss may occur as a natural part of the aging process. As we age, often our hearing is not as clear as it used to be. If you’ve been diagnosed with presbycusis (age related hearing loss), then it is important to seek treatment in order to better engage with your life more independently. Studies have shown that people with untreated hearing loss often rely on others in social settings and are less likely to engage with their communities due to difficulties with communication.
The most common form of treatment for age-related hearing loss is the use of hearing aids. For those who do not experience presbycusis, there are preventative measures you can take with life style choices. Researchers have found that music and our eating habits can delay or reduce age-related hearing loss.
Risk Factors Related to Hearing Loss
Hearing loss often occurs naturally with getting older. As you get older, the hair cells in your inner ear begin to die, which could affect the way you hear. Researchers estimate that people can begin to lose their hearing as early as their 30s or 40s.
Though you can’t always fully prevent hearing loss, you can take steps to minimize or overcome it. Age-related hearing loss may be prevented or at least lessened by avoiding loud noises. A lifetime of exposure to loud noises such as music, motorcycles and work related noise could cause hearing loss in seniors. Noise-related hearing loss often results in tinnitus.
Other causes of and risk factors for hearing loss experienced by seniors include:
- Smoking
- Allergies, high blood pressure, tumors, or stroke
- Some medications
- A punctured eardrum
- Viruses or bacteria
- Earwax buildup
Your genes may also play a role in presbycusis, as it often runs in families. Environmental factors like loud music and smoking make it difficult to determine the effect of genetics on age-related hearing loss; however, according to American Family Physician, an estimated 50 percent of age-related hearing loss is inherited.
Musical training
A study suggests that musical training from an early age could account for why older musicians have better hearing than non-musicians. An American scientist has shown that the brain can be trained to overcome some age-related hearing loss and that people, for whom music has been a part of their life since childhood, had an advantage when distinguishing one consonant from another.
Folate may reduce hearing loss
Another aspect that could protect your hearing into your golden ears is your daily nutrition. Surveys indicate that folate may benefit hearing. Low blood-levels of folate are associated with a 35% increased risk of hearing loss, according to a study from The University of Sydney, Australia. Folate is the natural source of vitamin B9. This study supports the link between B-vitamins and hearing. Researchers have examined blood levels of folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine and correlated this with the risk of age-related hearing loss
Calorie restriction
Calorie restriction may also delay age-related hearing loss. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have succeeded in delaying age-related hearing loss in mice by restricting their intake of calories. Experiments with mice have shown that a 25% reduction in calories activated a single enzyme, Sirt3, which helped preserve hearing. Although the diet delayed hearing loss at various frequencies in the normal mice, it did not work at all in the mice lacking Sirt3.
Seeking Treatment for Presbycusis
There’s no reason to live with untreated hearing loss. If you have been diagnosed with a hearing loss, hearing aids are often the most beneficial form of treatment.
Though hearing aids can be beneficial for many, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders estimates that fewer than 30 percent of adults older than 70 who could benefit from a hearing aid have one. If you’ve been experiencing changes in your hearing, visit us at New Leaf Hearing Clinic and get on the road to better hearing and a more independent life.