What is noise and Problems with hearing

Noise and Hearing

Q.What is noise?
A. Although commonly thought of as unwanted sound, noise is any loud sound that can contribute to hearing loss. Besides the intense noises that some of us are exposed to in our work situations, all of us are exposed to potentially damaging noise every day from such things as car horns, barking dogs, lawn mowers, and overly loud music.

Q. How does noise affect hearing?
A. Continuous exposure to loud noise can produce hearing loss. Sounds are transmitted as vibrations from the outer ear to the 30,000 delicate hair cells of the inner ear. When exposed to loud sounds, the hair cells vibrate vigorously and sometimes violently. This often results in tinnitus (ringing in the ear) and temporary hearing loss that usually recovers within a day. With continued exposure to loud noise, the temporary hearing loss can become permanent by a destruction of the hair cells. Hearing in the higher pitch range is usually affected first. This often results in a reduction in the clarity of speech, especially in a background of noise. It is easier to hear men than women and children.

Q. What Noise is Too Loud?
A. Regular exposure to noise above a decibel level of 85 dBA can permanently damage your hearing. As opposed to a muscle which can be strengthened with over stimulation, your ears do not grow stronger but will sustain greater hearing loss with increased exposure to noise. The table below shows the intensity of some sounds.

Some dB levels of common sounds:

0......................Barely audible

30....................A whisper in a quiet library

60....................Normal conversational speech

90....................A running lawnmower

100..................A chainsaw

115..................A rock and roll concert

140..................A jet engine

Q. How can you minimize your potential for hearing loss?
A. If you notice ringing in your ears shortly after exposure to a loud sound, your ears are crying "ouch". You should avoid that sound or wear hearing protectors when you are exposed to that sound. No matter what type hearing protectors you choose, be sure to use them correctly. If hearing protectors are not inserted properly, you may get a false sense of security in believing that you are protecting your hearing when in reality you are not.

Q. What is earwax?
A. The ear canal is shaped somewhat like an hourglass-narrowing part way down. The skin of the outer part of the canal has special glands, the ceruminous and sebaceous, that produce earwax. This wax is supposed to trap dust and sand particles to keep them from reaching the eardrum. Usually the wax accumulates a bit, and then dries up and comes tumbling out of the ear, carrying sand and dust with it. Or it may slowly migrate to the outside where it is wiped off. Wax is not formed in the deep part of the ear canal near the eardrum, but only in the outer part of the canal.
Earwax is healthy in normal amounts and serves to coat the skin of the ear canal where it acts as a temporary water repellent. The absence of earwax may result in dry, itchy ears. Most of the time the ear canals are self cleaning. That is, there is a slow and orderly migration of ear canal skin from the ear drum to the ear opening. Old earwax is constantly being transported from the ear canal to the ear opening where it usually dries, flakes, and falls out.
Under ideal circumstances, you should never have to clean your ear canals. However, we all know that this isn't always so.
The outer ear is the funnel-like part of the ear you can see on the side of the head, plus the ear canal (the hole which leads down to the eardrum).

Q.What can be done when earwax accumulates?
A. When wax has accumulated so much that it blocks the ear canal (and hearing), your audiologist or physician may have to wash it out, vacuum it, or remove it with special instruments. The physician may prescribe ear drops which are designed to soften the wax. If so, you may first wish to try over-the-counter products such as Debrox, or Murine Ear Drops. These are not as strong as the prescription wax softeners but are effective for many patients. In the event that the nonprescription product is not satisfactory, a physician should be consulted. You may soften the wax for a few days by instilling several drops of an earwax softener into the ear canal twice a day. This can be purchased in your drugstore without a prescription. If your ear still feels blocked after using the ear drops, you should consult your physician, who may elect to wash it out.
Before using over-the-counter products, you must first know that you do not have a hole (perforation or puncture) in your eardrum. Putting the above eardrop products in your ear in the presence of an eardrum perforation may cause an infection. Certainly, washing water through such a hole would surely start up an infection. If you are uncertain whether you have a hole in your eardrum, consult your physician.

Q. What is presbyacusis?
A. Hearing loss that accompanies aging is called presbyacusis. Presbyacusis results in a permanent hearing impairment because the delicate, sensory cells in your ear are damaged and cannot recover. According to the National Institutes of Health, 15% of those 55-64 years of age, 30% of those 65-74 years of age, and 40% of those over 75 years of age have a hearing loss that affects communication.

Q. What are the common symptoms of presbyacusis?
A. People with presbyacusis generally report that they can hear (detect) speech, but have difficulty understanding the meaning. The message sounds garbled because hearing in the low-pitch range is spared and allows perception of the vowels of speech. Hearing loss in the high-pitch range reduces or eliminates the perception of consonants which carry most of the meaning of speech. You may notice that you are more challenged when in a background of noise - for instance in a restaurant, at a party, or in a car.
As presbyacusis progresses, the hearing loss worsens and the lower-pitch range may also be affected. In some instances, there is deterioration of the nerve that leads from the brain, resulting in a reduced ability to understand speech that is not in accord with the degree of hearing loss as measured on the audiogram.

Q. How can Presbyacusis be treated?
A. Hearing loss caused by presbyacusis is permanent and cannot be reversed with medicine or surgery. An audiologist can help you to determine the circumstances that are causing you problems and the strategies you can use to improve your situation. For instance, you may find that your difficulty occurs only when your spouse speaks to you from another room. The solution to that problem is easy. You or your spouse should not speak to each other from separate rooms. On the other hand, you may have difficulty in conversation when the TV is on and serves as a background noise. A simple solution is to turn off the TV while you are engaged in conversation.
You may have difficulty in a specific situation that requires a specialized amplification device. For example, devices are available that amplify the telephone. Other devices are designed to amplify the TV by using an infrared light from the loudspeaker of the TV to a receiver that you wear.
If you are having difficulty in a variety of situations, then you may need to consider the use of hearing aids. Modern hearing aids are cosmetically pleasing, comfortable, and have the technology to improve your hearing, even in the presence of background noise. In addition, hearing aids can be computer programmed so that you will not require a replacement if your hearing should change - only an adjustment of your hearing aid.

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