Hearing is one of the most important senses that a person has. It’s also one that is seemingly taken for granted until one begins to lose it. Despite that fact, hundreds of thousands of people are dealing with hearing loss every year.
There are four different forms that hearing loss can take. In turn, these four types can have multiple causes. People with auditory processing disorders still receive sound properly, but do not have it processed by the brain properly. Conductive hearing loss is another type and occurs when the outer and middle ear somehow block the sound and don’t allow the inner ear to receive sound properly. It can be caused by a lot of different physical issues. If the cochlea is damaged, then people suffer from sensorineural hearing loss. There’s also mixed hearing loss which can combine multiple different factors and issues. To help prevent hearing loss, one of the best things is to be aware of what can cause it. What follows are many common causes of hearing loss to help educate about this topic.
1 - Aging
Arguably the most common form of hearing loss comes from aging. As a person ages, the structures within their ears will degrade at various levels. This can occur within the inner ear, middle ear or outer ear. In many cases, hearing loss from aging is gradual and people don’t really notice it as it occurs. It can just be a case where they keep increasing the volume on the television until they realize it’s four times what it used to be.
2 - Earwax Buildup
Children from a young age are taught to clean their ears, and the reason is earwax buildup. Quite simply, earwax can build up until it is clogging the ear canal and prevents sound waves from passing through properly. There’s some good news about this form of hearing loss. Removal of the ear wax can restore hearing to what it was. In many cases, this needs to be done by a medical professional. People using cotton swabs to clean their ears may actually be pushing earwax down into the canal further and causing more buildup when trying to stop it!
3 - Damaged Eardrums
The eardrum is a crucial part of a functioning ear, as it transfers sound from the middle ear down to the inner ear. The eardrum however is fragile. It can be damaged or ruptured fairly easily. Many people may accidentally poke their eardrum through an accident or foolishly put things down their ear. The resulting infection from damage will typically cause it to rupture.
4 - Loud Noises
For many people, loud noises are a part of their lives. Many types of work expose people to extremely loud noise at all times. Take someone who is a baggage handler at an airport. Being near those shockingly loud airplanes consistently takes a toll on the ears. This consistent powerful noise will damage the ear. It’s a good choice to wear ear plugs whenever possible if you work in industries with loud noise.
5 - Sharp Noise Moments
Quite simply, moments of unexpected extreme noise can cause hearing loss. It’s often immediate damage. An example is people who are close to an explosion or firing of a large weapon. If it is close proximity, or a closed space, these noises are amplified and can cause even more damage.