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What Happens to Your Hearing as You Age
Will It Happen to Me?
The short answer is more than likely yes — at least to some extent. Most of us will gradually lose some of our hearing as we get older. In the U.S., about a third of people ages 65 to 74 have hearing loss. Almost half of people over age 75 have some trouble hearing. But there are things you can do to help preserve as much of your hearing as possible, as long as possible.
What Causes It?
Most of the time, hearing loss with age happens about the same way in both ears. It’s usually because of changes in the ear itself over time. Most often those changes are in the inner ear, but they can be in other parts. Sometimes changes in the nerves connecting the ear and brain may be involved.
It’s Not Just About Your Age
Several things influence how much hearing you’ll lose as you get older. These include:
- Health conditions you may have, such as diabetes, ear infections that come back, high blood pressure, and diabetes
- Medications you’ve taken, including aspirin, chemotherapy, and some antibiotics
- Your exposure to loud sounds like music, lawn mowers, fireworks, gunfire, loud engines, and planes
- Whether or not hearing loss runs in your family
Watch for These Signs
If your hearing is off, you may have:
- Trouble understanding words or following a conversation, especially in noisy places like restaurants
- Difficulty making out consonants, such as “s,” “t,” “k,” “p,” and “f”
- Trouble hearing high-pitched sounds like doorbells or phones
- Ringing in your ears, a condition called tinnitus
Do I Have a Hearing Problem?
If you think you might have a hearing problem but aren’t sure, consider these questions:
- Are you embarrassed sometimes because you can’t hear?
- Does talking with family or friends frustrate you because you can’t hear them?
- Do you need to turn the TV or radio up louder than other people do to hear it?
- Do you feel that your hearing restricts or limits you in any way?
If you answered “yes” to some of these and are concerned about your hearing, it’s time to get it checked.
Where to Start
If your hearing is becoming a problem for you, it’s a good idea to see a doctor. You might want to start with your primary care doctor, who may recommend that you go to see a specialist.
Specialists Who May Help
An ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor looks in your ears to see if there’s a reason why you’ve lost some hearing besides your age. An audiologist measures hearing and tells you how much hearing you’ve lost. A hearing aid specialist also can measure your hearing and fit you for a hearing aid if you need one.
Treatments
If your hearing loss is substantial, your doctor might recommend a hearing aid. Hearing aids are electronic devices you wear in your ear. They make things sound louder. Some are so small, you can barely see them. Try out different hearing aids and make sure you get one that’s comfortable and works well for you.
What Else Helps
Assistive listening devices can make things that you need to hear louder. Ask at places like your theater, airport, and house of worship if they have portable receivers you can wear to hear better. When a person is talking, pay close attention to their mouth, lips, and gestures. This may help you to catch more of what they’re saying.
Ask for Help
Don’t hesitate to let friends, family, and others know you have some hearing loss. There are simple ways you and those around you can make hearing easier:
- Ask people to speak up and talk clearly without shouting.
- Ask for them to help make sure you can see their faces when they’re talking.
- Limit background noise at home.
- When you are out, try to pick quieter spots.
Protect Your Hearing
There’s no sure way to stop or slow hearing loss with age. But you can take steps to make sure you aren’t making matters worse. Do your best to avoid loud noises at work and in your free time. When you can’t avoid loud noises, wear earplugs or earmuffs to protect your ears and your hearing.
Stay Connected
Hearing loss is about more than your hearing. If you can’t hear well, it makes it harder to enjoy activities like going to a movie, lecture, concert, worship service, or other things in your community. And that can mean you miss out on spending time with the people you care about. To avoid feelings of isolation and depression, make sure hearing well is a top priority.
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Top Causes of Hearing Loss
Noise on the Job
Hearing loss is the third most common condition in the U.S., after arthritis and heart disease. One cause is loud noise in the workplace, like machinery. About 22 million Americans face unsafe levels of noise at work. Things like motorcycles and power tools also can hurt your hearing over time. Try to avoid noisy activities or take breaks from them often. Wear earplugs or ear protectors that fit over your ears.
Injury or Pressure Changes
A serious head injury can dislocate your middle-ear bones or damage nerves and cause permanent hearing loss. Sudden changes in pressure from flying or scuba diving could also harm your eardrum or middle or inner ear. Eardrums usually heal in a few weeks. But if your inner ear is badly injured, you may need surgery. Never stick cotton swabs or other objects into your ears. This can break your eardrum and cause permanent damage.
Medicines
Hearing loss can be a side effect of some medicines, including certain antibiotics, cancer medications, and erectile dysfunction drugs. Your doctor will probably keep an eye on your hearing while you take them. But some hearing loss may be permanent. Other drugs that may cause temporary hearing loss include:
- Aspirin and other NSAIDs, like ibuprofen
- Loop diuretics, often used for high blood pressure
- Anti-malaria drugs, like quinine
Chronic Disease
Certain long-lasting diseases that aren’t directly related to your ears can cause hearing loss. Some do it by interrupting blood flow to your inner ear or brain. These conditions include:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are also linked to some types of hearing loss.
Ear ‘Stroke’
Ear “stroke” (sudden sensorineural hearing loss) happens when you lose your hearing suddenly or over a few days. It most often affects just one ear. Injury, medications, or a medical condition might cause it. But in 90% of cases, doctors can’t find any reason. If this happens to you, get medical help right away. Treatment can protect your hearing
Tumors and Growths
Noncancerous growths, including bone tumors, scar tissue, and cysts, can block your ear canal and cause hearing loss. Sometimes, removing the growth restores hearing. A rare tumor called acoustic neuroma grows on the hearing and balance nerves in your inner ear. Along with hearing loss, it can cause balance issues, facial numbness, and ringing in the ears. Treatment can sometimes save some hearing.
Explosive Noises
Firecrackers, gunshots, and other explosions create powerful sound waves that may rupture your eardrum or damage your inner ear. This can cause sudden hearing loss, either temporary or permanent. In fact, hearing loss caused by gunfire or explosions is now the No. 1 U.S. combat disability. To guard your hearing, wear ear protection and stand as far as you can from the source of the noise.
Concerts, Loud Noises, and Tinnitus
Ringing in your ears after a concert? That’s called tinnitus. It’s not the same as hearing loss, but they’re related. The average decibel level at a rock show is 110, enough to do damage in less than 5 minutes. Any noise over 85 decibels can affect your hearing. Other risky sounds include leaf blowers and chain saws. Tinnitus can last for hours, weeks, or forever. To prevent it, wear earplugs and limit your exposure.
Earbuds and Headphones
Can others hear the music you’re playing through your earbuds or earphones? If so, you may want to turn down the volume. Using these devices can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss. The louder the music and the longer you listen, the greater your risks are. For safer listening, set the volume at no higher than 60% of the maximum. And don’t listen for more than an hour at a time.
Earwax Buildup
Earwax protects your ear canal against dirt and bacteria. But it can build up, harden, and affect your hearing. This is the most common cause of treatable hearing loss. Think you have an earwax blockage? Don’t try to remove it yourself. It’s not safe to put a swab or anything else into your ear canal. A doctor can do it quickly and safely
Illnesses and Infections
Many illnesses common in children and young adults can affect hearing. In ear infections, your middle ear may fill with fluid, causing temporary hearing loss. Other illnesses could damage the middle or inner ear and lead to permanent hearing loss. Diseases that can affect hearing include:
- Chickenpox
- Encephalitis
- Flu
- Measles
- Meningitis
- Mumps
Vaccines can protect you or your child from many of them.
Hearing Loss at Birth
Some children are born with hearing loss. This is called congenital hearing loss. It often runs in families. But it can also happen when the mother has diabetes, high blood pressure, or an infection when pregnant. Premature delivery, or trauma during birth, can also leave an infant with hearing loss. Jaundice also sometimes leads to hearing loss in newborns.
Age
Hearing weakens as you grow older. Damage from noise and illnesses may contribute. But it can happen even if you protect your ears all your life. By age 75, nearly half of people have lost some hearing. But there are ways to help you function better, including hearing ads, cochlear implants, and therapy. Talk with an audiologist to see what might work for you.
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