Sound familiar? You're at the wheel, stopped at a red light, when a car pulls up beside you and the blast from its earth-shattering audio system almost sets your car shaking. Loud noise causes hearing loss and, with a significant proportion of young Kiwis listening to music through headphones, mostly at unsafe levels, hearing loss is going to start happening much earlier in life.

Noise pollution

These days, we are subjected to a world that has a raucous environment, and the level of noise has come to be a pollutant which can damage hearing.

‘Loud noise is the most significant single cause of preventable hearing loss,' Dr Harvey Dillon, an audiology researcher says. This can come from car stereos, prolonged use of headphones or noisy pubs.

It's not about being a spoilsport, but many people don't realise that damaged hearing can't be restored. This is especially common of young people who frequent noisy bars on a weekly basis. It's important to avoid over exposure to excessive noise.

Doing the damage

Your ear receives soundwaves that make the ear drum at the end of the ear canal vibrate. This vibration is passed via the hollow inner ear to the fluid-filled cochlea. Thousands of hairs in the inner ear vibrate in various frequencies, relating the sounds that we are hearing.

The hairs then send nervous impulses to the brain so we can appreciate sound. But any sound loud and persistent enough can serve to destroy those fine hairs. Once this happens, it can't be reversed.

Warning sign

The most common type of tinnitus, known as subjective tinnutis, is noise, clicking, ringing or whooshing in the ears when there is no physical noise. It's a symptom that something's going wrong with the delicately balanced system of hearing. Just about anything that goes wrong with our ears causes it, but loud noises top the bill.

Awareness of tinnitus is quite normal, for example if you are listening intently in a quiet space. But, if it progresses to a level that is disturbing, there may be other causes, such as damage to hearing.

Approximately 20 per cent of the New Zealand population experience occasional tinnitus to some degree, with around one per cent experiencing significant levels of annoyance as a result, which may be ongoing.

 

Protect your ears

While there are many other factors, such as trauma, middle-ear infection, industrial chemicals, and also antibiotics that can impair hearing, it is those everyday things we do without thinking that can have the most damaging effects.

‘Elbow in the ear': It's normal to clean the outer ear in the shower each day, but the only item that should ever go in the inner ear is the elbow. Sounds impossible? It is - what it means though, is that absolutely nothing should go in there, not even cotton buds, for fear of harming the ear drum.

Ear wax is the natural hydrating/moisturising agent for the ear, but if you have wax that is like concrete, ask a chemist for wax-dissolving drops, use them for three days
or see your GP for a gentle cleansing.

Bugs in the ear: Children often get infections in the throat and outer ear, which may need antibiotics. Swimmer's ear tops the list and a doctor can treat the outer canal. Inner-ear infections are more common in children who may have large tonsils that can block the inner passageway from the middle ear to the back of the throat.

Doctors used to be quick to prescribe antibiotics but now prefer to ‘wait, watch and see'. They will massage the inner ear tube to remove inflammatory mucus. This, together with pain relief, usually solves the problem. Prevention is always better than a cure, so it pays to follow these simple guidelines:

Volume control: Keep the volume on your headphones at a level so that when someone speaks to you at a normal volume they can be heard from an arm's length away. Be aware of how damaging loud noise is and take steps to avoid it.

Be responsible: Try limiting the time you're exposed to loud noise, so if you're at a club or a gig, don't stand near the speakers. Just as you give yourself a break at work, go outside and give your ears a rest.

Teach the kids: When you're mowing the lawn or using the leaf-blower, wear earmuffs. You can get an inexpensive pair at a hardware store, but they're priceless for hearing protection.

Stay connected  

If your hearing's down but not out, hearing aids won't restore it to normal, but they will go a long way towards making it less of a problem.

‘What concerns me is so many people with untreated hearing impairment suffer isolation from their communities because they miss so much,' Professor Dillon says.

‘There can be an enormous loss of intimacy and connection with others.'

Although many people regard hearing aids as ugly and unsightly, modern versions can be discreet or flamboyantly stylish, custom designed and very efficient. They can even be matched to hair or skin colour or be a fashion accessory. Some even come with a small remote control so they can be connected to a mobile phone, MP3 player or TV.

Turn it down

The loudness of sound is measured in decibels (dB). Zero equates to approximately the softest sound audible to the human ear. Sounds of less than 75dB, even with long exposure, are unlikely to cause hearing loss.

An MP3 player emitting 95dB. The noise coming from an angle grinder scores a factor of merely 3dB higher than this.

Normal speech levels measure at about 60dB.

In industrial situations, it's not uncommon for noise levels to rise above 85dB - wear protection!

MP3 players are usually emitting levels of between 60dB to 95dB.

A noisy nightclub comes in with a reading of about 110dB. Remember the take-a-break rule.

Hearing loss checklist

Deafness can be caused by damage to the ear drum, by a blockage or a defect in the workings of the inner ear, nerve damage caused by loud music or deterioration as
a result of the ageing process, Health tome 1000 Cures for Over 200 Ailments (Allen & Unwin, $55) states. Make an appointment with your GP if you have any of the following symptoms:

Difficulty understanding people while on the phone

Confusion as to where some sounds are coming from

Misunderstanding what people are saying to you during conversation

Ringing or rustling noises in the ear

Earache

Discharge from the ear

Dizziness 

Nausea

 

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