Hearing loss is when your capability to hear goes down. While the most common hearing loss causes are noise and aging, there are other reasons a human would be affected by hearing loss.

Hearing Loss Signs and Symptoms

How could you know if you have hearing loss? Hearing loss signs vary with individuals and with different lifestyles, but the following are the most usual:

• Difficulty in understanding speech in a noisy background such as restaurants and street traffic.
• Following conversation needs more concentration, especially when several people are talking.
• Frequently asking others to repeat themselves.
• Trouble hearing consonants
• Mute surrounding sounds to concentrate in a speech
• Increasing the volume of television for a better chance to hear clearly.
• People who know you well observe about your hearing not being as good as it used to be.
• Avoiding some social settings

It's tempting to dismiss signs like these, but both you and your family will find life more comfortable if you take a few simple steps. Your hearing is so vital to your wellbeing and quality of life. Hearing tests are straightforward, easily arranged, and usually, are at no cost to you.

The sooner you act, the better will be the outcome, both for you and your beloved ones.

Types of hearing loss

There are various causes of hearing loss and many ways to classify them, the most common is to categorize causes of hearing loss by the type of hearing loss and how it relates to what part of auditory or hearing system.

Conductive hearing loss

Conditions affecting the outer, middle ear, or both, cause conductive hearing loss to arise, which is often treatable and may then be temporary.

Sensorineural hearing loss

Untreatable (medically or surgically) disorders of the central auditory system or inner ear can cause sensorineural hearing loss, which is generally permanent.

Mixed hearing loss

When there is both conductive and sensorineural loss, this is called a mixed hearing loss.

Congenital hearing loss

It is when there is both conductive and sensorineural loss.

Hearing Loss Causes

• Damage to the inner ear. Exposure to loud noise and the aging process may cause corrode to the hairs or nerve cells in the cochlea which send sound signals to the brain. When these nerve cells or hairs are missing or damaged, electrical signals aren't transmitted as efficiently, then hearing loss occurs.

Higher pitched sounds may become muffled to you. It may become difficult for you to recognize words against background noise.

• A gradual buildup of earwax. A gradual accumulation of earwax can block the ear canal and prevent the transmission of sound waves. Earwax removal can help to get back your hearing.

• Ear infection and abnormal bone growths or tumors. Tumors, abnormal bone growths, or ear infection in the outer or middle ear can cause hearing loss.

• Ruptured eardrum (tympanic membrane perforation). The eardrum can be ruptured by sudden changes in pressure, loud blasts of noise, poking your eardrum with an object, or infection can cause your eardrum to rupture. This eardrum damage affects your hearing.

• Otitis externa and otitis media. Any swell in the ear canal due to allergy, skin infection, or inflammation (called otitis externa) can affect hearing. The eardrum can easily be affected by infection or inflammation of the ear canal.

Thus, nasal congestion, commonly from a variety of bacterial, viral infections, or head cold can prohibit the Eustachian tube from providing air to the middle ear and draining any fluid which stimulates middle ear infection and inflammation (otitis media). This condition is popular with young children but can affect adults as well.

Otitis media affects the function of the eardrum and the ossicular chain; it is the most common cause of middle ear hearing loss.

• Infection Diseases. There are various infectious diseases, bacterial and viral, which can lead to sensorineural hearing loss that typically affects one ear only. The more common ones are meningitis, measles, mumps, shingles, chicken pox, and influenza.
• Menieres disorder (syndrome). This syndrome is the most common condition involving both hearing loss and balance problems, often with tinnitus in one or both ears. Meniere's disorder cause isn't known for sure and may involve many possible reasons. Sudden attacks of dizziness are a particularly annoying aspect of this condition, which is frequently accompanied by a fluctuating hearing loss and low-pitched tinnitus. Even though the dizzy spells may stop happening, permanent tinnitus with hearing loss commonly results with one ear more than the other.

However, it is so clear that hearing loss should not be ignored as the consequences of not looking for professional help for hearing loss may result in greater problems than the hearing loss itself and put a person at big risk of additional mental health problems.

How to Treat Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss typically can't be reversed, but most cases can be managed with the assistant of a hearing healthcare professional and hearing aids. Just as every fingerprint is unique, every hearing loss and hearing need is unique too. To ensure you get the solution that's custom-fit to your precise needs and lifestyle, it's always recommended that you consult with a hearing professional who has the experience and technology needed to diagnose and measure your level of hearing loss then provide a solution customized for you, including providing ongoing support and care.

Nowadays, the best solution for hearing loss is hearing aids. Just like all high-tech devices, hearing aids have improved significantly over the past decade in terms of performance and appearance

From "invisible" solutions that fit deep inside your ear to wireless options that stream audio directly from your phone, TV, and radio, today's hearing aids sound better, fit more comfortably and perform more reliably than ever before.

To start treating your hearing loss, contact hearing healthcare professional now. Let Star Key Hearing's professionals help you today.