The increase in traffic, more powerful home entertainment systems, louder cinema experiences, jet engines and powerful machinery are contributing to a noisier world. This increase has contributed to the number of Americans that are either deaf or hard of hearing which stands at over 28 million.
Fortunately it is possible to delay and even prevent a lot of hearing loss. Medical treatments have improved and the hearing aids that are available today are more comfortable and more effective than in the past.
The increase in damaging levels of sound has meant that more and more young people are being diagnosed with hearing loss. Roughly 10 million Americans have irreversible damage to their ears from dangerous noise levels and 30 million are exposed to damaging levels on a daily basis.
The age group of 45 to 64 year olds has the biggest decline in their hearing with men suffering a 365% loss and women 85% Thankfully the majority of hearing loss from noise levels and ear infections including middle ear infections in children is preventable.
Hearing tests at birth are now highly recommended. Now it is possible to diagnose any problems with a newborn baby's hearing using otoacoustic emissions. By the time a baby reaches six months it is already fast developing the language skills it needs for its life ahead and by testing its hearing early can ensure it gets the best chance to make the most of this important time.
Hearing is due to the miraculous process of turning sound waves into vibrations by collecting the sound at the outer ear and channeling the sound to the middle and inner ear where the ear drum and small bones vibrate. These electrical impulses are generated by hair like cells in the cochlea and are then sent to the brain. These cells cannot grow back if they are damaged.
Someone who has been exposed to dangerously high levels of noise can end up with a constant high pitched ringing noise in their one or both of their ears known as tinnitus. The large majority of the 40 million people in America who suffer from tinnitus are able to love with it.
Some tinnitus sufferers describe cricket like sounds which some can actually use to get them off to sleep. The more severe cases send people into despair. Tinnitus cannot be cured but instead relief is available for around 80% of the 10 million severe cases.
William Shatner who played Captain James T Kirk in the Star Trek television series was almost driven to suicide due to the constant torment caused by severe tinnitus. He suspects that the explosions during the making of a Star Trek movie might have been responsible for his tinnitus.
There are ways to protect your hearing. One way to prevent hearing loss is by using earplugs. Temporary hearing loss can be caused by noise over 90 decibels for a long period of time and this can be from house hold equipment such as lawnmowers. Exposure to anything over 100 decibels such as light industrial machinery without protection for more than 15 minutes can cause hearing damage. Rock concerts, racing cars and even chainsaws regularly produce over 110 decibels which is enough to cause permanent hearing loss.
Hearing damage can be caused by ear infections if they are not treated early. An ear infection can occur without accompanying pain or fever. The only symptom may be a loss of hearing. It is always a good idea to talk to a doctor as soon as you notice any problems and take a hearing test.
Author Resource:-
As a person looking for tinnitus you should visit that site.You can get resources on help for tinnitus by visiting this site.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articles23.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
