

This includes many carpenters, construction workers, soldiers, miners, factory workers, and farmers. The CDC reports that about 22 million American workers are exposed to dangerous noise levels on the job. Noise wears down hearing if it's loud or continuous. It could be that lifetime exposure to noise and other damaging factors slowly wears down the ears' delicate mechanics.

Researchers don't fully understand why hearing declines with age. After age 75, that goes up to one out of every two people. One out of three people between 65 and 74 has some level of hearing loss. It has tiny hairs that change the amplified vibrations into electrical signals and send them to your brain, where you hear them as sound.Īdvanced age is the most common cause of hearing loss. Inner ear, which houses the cochlea, a snail-shaped fluid-filled structure.Middle ear, which gets the vibrations next.Outer ear where they cause vibrations in your eardrum.Your ear has three main areas that play a part in hearing. Hear ringing, roaring, or hissing sounds in your ears, known as tinnitus.Often misunderstand what others say and respond inappropriately.Think other people are mumbling or not speaking clearly.Have trouble following a conversation when more than one person speaks at once.You can't understand what they're saying without a hearing aid or cochlear implant. Learn more about how much hearing loss is considered deaf.Įarly on, high-pitched sounds, such as children's and female voices, and the sounds "S" and "F" become harder to make out. Profound hearing loss: You can't hear other people speaking unless they’re extremely loud.Severe hearing loss: Following a conversation is almost impossible unless you have a hearing aid.Moderate hearing loss: You often need to ask people to repeat themselves during conversations in person and on the phone.Mild hearing loss: One-on-one conversations are fine, but it's hard to catch every word when there's background noise.But you may become more and more cut off from the world of speech and sounds. So how do you know if you are losing your hearing?ĭoctors classify hearing loss by degrees.

As long as some sound still comes in, you could assume your hearing is fine. You may think people are mumbling more, your spouse needs to speak up, or you need a better phone. In many cases, hearing fades so slowly you don't notice it. If you've already lost some hearing, there are ways to stay connected and communicate with friends and family. With so many untreatable cases of hearing loss, prevention is the best way to keep hearing long-term. Modern life has added a host of ear-damaging elements to the list, including some medications and many sources of loud, ongoing noise. Learn more about the common causes of hearing loss.
