5 ms·

Mid-life hearing loss is very high on the list. But how does one prevent it?

by a_c 9y ago

klodolph 9y ago
Wear hearing protection? You don't need to wear hearing protection 24/7, because the world isn't loud 24/7. But if you go to concerts or play music, or work with power tools or construction equipment, hearing protection is a no-brainer. I bring earplugs almost every time I go to a concert, jam session, and when I go to clubs. The connection with dementia does not surprise me. If you can't hear what people are saying, you won't be able to use those big chunks of your brain for language processing. They say that the first sign of hearing loss is that your wife starts mumbling. (Yes, gendered language—men tend to be more at risk for hearing loss, and hearing loss starts with higher frequencies, and women speak at a higher pitch. So for many men, they'll start complaining that their wife mumbles a lot, and the real problem is hearing loss.)
- Grazester 9y ago
  I know I have hearing loss but nothing is going to convince me my wife doesn't mumble at times! LOL
- Fezzik 9y ago
  I go so far as to wear the spongy orange ear plugs when I vacuum and do any thing with power tools at home. I already have (what I think of as) pretty bad tinnitus, so I am trying to mitigate future deterioration. It is surprisingly difficult to convince people this is a good idea though. I played in a band for a good 5 years, and while we practiced in a 15' x 15' room, with our amps cranked to 11, I could not cajole anyone else in to wearing ear plugs. It irked me that I could not get my friends to wear earplugs, even when it was just the 4 of us, because it was "uncool". And these are smart guys in their mid-thirties.
  - pwthornton 9y ago
    Have you had your tinnitus checked out? It can be caused by earwax build up/impactedness.
    - klodolph 9y ago
      Tinnitus can also be caused by wearing ear plugs too often or for too long.
      - AstralStorm 9y ago
        Only secondary. The cause is either ear wax build-up, infection (easier in a sealed environment) or badly designed plugs not working in changing air pressure with consequent minor barotrauma.
  - Doxin 9y ago
    I can highly recommend switching to ear muffs instead of plugs. They tend to seal better, don't get gunky, and don't give your ears trouble because of them being sealed off. It's more comfortable too IMO.
- elorant 9y ago
  What's the point of going to a concert if you are to wear ear plugs?
  - etblg 9y ago
    Good ear protection reduces the volume by an acceptable level, not entirely, and reduces the volume by a relatively flat amount across frequencies, so it still sounds normal, but just not ear-damagingly loud.
  - EGreg 9y ago
    What's the point of going to a really loud concert to kill your ears from machines blasting sound just because you happen to be situated in a certain part of the audience? It's just a tradeoff for the designers of the show - not a time honored tradition - but it's your ears. And even if it is a time honored tradition like hazing rituals - would you smoke if everyone did it? Finally, what's the point of going to loud bar "just to catch up" with your friend? I never understood those people who stand there talking to their friend in the loudest bars.
    - klodolph 9y ago
      I probably would smoke if everyone did it. That's basically the only reason I started drinking, after all.
  - bryanlarsen 9y ago
    Some concerts are much more enjoyable with ear plugs -- because it's not overwhelming your ears you can actually hear it better than you can without ear plugs. You can also get things called musician's ear plugs which attenuate all frequencies at similar levels so it doesn't change the music.
    - zimpenfish 9y ago
      Can recommend the ER20s from Etymotic Research - been using those for 10+ years for both gigs and cinema trips. Recently got some Flare Audio which I'm trying out but their foam tips don't really fit into my ears that well (despite supplying a range of sizes.)
- a_c 9y ago
  This is definitely one way of prevention. I know several people in their 50s suffer from hearing loss, for no obvious cause. They didn't play band, didn't go concert or club, nothing suspicious. And doctors have yet to find the cause. That got me thinking if, apart from loudness, there are other obvious culprit for degenerating hearing
  - AstralStorm 9y ago
    Vascular degeneration. (Otosclerosis.)
- fernandotakai 9y ago
  do you have any recommendations on earplugs? i go to a lot of concerts/festivals and i'm starting to realize my hearing is getting worse.
  - klodolph 9y ago
    Every ear canal is different. That includes left vs right! Try a couple different types and you'll find one that works for you. The common types are the disposable foam ones (just a simple cylinder or rounded cylinder cut out of foam), the molded flexible ones (kind of like earbuds, you can reuse them), and the moldable ones (wax or silicone balls). My personal preference is for the disposable foam, they're the most comfortable and reliable for my ears. The cheapest disposable foam ones I find are a little hard to use and sometimes uncomfortable, so spending a couple extra bucks on a better brand made a big difference. But different people like different kinds. The silicone balls and foam earplugs can be bought at the local drugstore and they're fairly inexpensive. The reusable ones you'll find at hardware stores or musical instrument stores. The ones at musical instrument stores are designed to let you hear the music accurately, just quieter. If you want to spend a bit of extra $$ for something great and comfortable, you can get custom-molded earplugs designed to fit your ear canal. If you're a musician who plays live you'll probably want to drop the $700 or so it costs to get custom in-ear monitors. There's also a bit of technique involved putting the things in so that they stay put, they're comfortable, and they still let you have a conversation. For the disposable foam plugs you can buy everywhere, I roll them into a tiny cylinder, tilt my head at a certain angle, and use my other hand to pull back on my ear to put the plug in. After using them enough times, I've gotten a pretty good feel for three different depths: medium depth for normal loud music, decent comfort, and stays in well; a shallow depth if I need to have conversations with other people while I'm wearing them, but they fall out sometimes; and the deepest depth for when I want to sleep in the middle of a bunch of noise. Also: don't make a habit out of sleeping with earplugs. I've definitely been in a few situations where I've gotten shit for wearing earplugs, but as I've gotten older I've stopped caring that other people think I'm lame for wearing them. I always tell them that I love music, and I want to be able to listen to music four decades from now. Just a few stories from people with hearing loss or tinnitus is enough to scare you into wearing earplugs. Just ask Craig Gill.

Mid-life hearing loss is very high on the list. But how does one prevent it?

by a_c 9y ago

Mid-life hearing loss is very high on the list. But how does one prevent it?

Wear hearing protection? You don't need to wear hearing protection 24/7, because the world isn't loud 24/7. But if you go to concerts or play music, or work with power tools or construction equipment, hearing protection is a no-brainer. I bring earplugs almost every time I go to a concert, jam session, and when I go to clubs. The connection with dementia does not surprise me. If you can't hear what people are saying, you won't be able to use those big chunks of your brain for language processing. They say that the first sign of hearing loss is that your wife starts mumbling. (Yes, gendered language—men tend to be more at risk for hearing loss, and hearing loss starts with higher frequencies, and women speak at a higher pitch. So for many men, they'll start complaining that their wife mumbles a lot, and the real problem is hearing loss.)

Grazester 9y ago
I know I have hearing loss but nothing is going to convince me my wife doesn't mumble at times! LOL
Fezzik 9y ago
I go so far as to wear the spongy orange ear plugs when I vacuum and do any thing with power tools at home. I already have (what I think of as) pretty bad tinnitus, so I am trying to mitigate future deterioration. It is surprisingly difficult to convince people this is a good idea though. I played in a band for a good 5 years, and while we practiced in a 15' x 15' room, with our amps cranked to 11, I could not cajole anyone else in to wearing ear plugs. It irked me that I could not get my friends to wear earplugs, even when it was just the 4 of us, because it was "uncool". And these are smart guys in their mid-thirties.
- pwthornton 9y ago
  Have you had your tinnitus checked out? It can be caused by earwax build up/impactedness.
  - klodolph 9y ago
    Tinnitus can also be caused by wearing ear plugs too often or for too long.
    - AstralStorm 9y ago
      Only secondary. The cause is either ear wax build-up, infection (easier in a sealed environment) or badly designed plugs not working in changing air pressure with consequent minor barotrauma.
- Doxin 9y ago
  I can highly recommend switching to ear muffs instead of plugs. They tend to seal better, don't get gunky, and don't give your ears trouble because of them being sealed off. It's more comfortable too IMO.
elorant 9y ago
What's the point of going to a concert if you are to wear ear plugs?
- etblg 9y ago
  Good ear protection reduces the volume by an acceptable level, not entirely, and reduces the volume by a relatively flat amount across frequencies, so it still sounds normal, but just not ear-damagingly loud.
- EGreg 9y ago
  What's the point of going to a really loud concert to kill your ears from machines blasting sound just because you happen to be situated in a certain part of the audience? It's just a tradeoff for the designers of the show - not a time honored tradition - but it's your ears. And even if it is a time honored tradition like hazing rituals - would you smoke if everyone did it? Finally, what's the point of going to loud bar "just to catch up" with your friend? I never understood those people who stand there talking to their friend in the loudest bars.
  - klodolph 9y ago
    I probably would smoke if everyone did it. That's basically the only reason I started drinking, after all.
- bryanlarsen 9y ago
  Some concerts are much more enjoyable with ear plugs -- because it's not overwhelming your ears you can actually hear it better than you can without ear plugs. You can also get things called musician's ear plugs which attenuate all frequencies at similar levels so it doesn't change the music.
  - zimpenfish 9y ago
    Can recommend the ER20s from Etymotic Research - been using those for 10+ years for both gigs and cinema trips. Recently got some Flare Audio which I'm trying out but their foam tips don't really fit into my ears that well (despite supplying a range of sizes.)
a_c 9y ago
This is definitely one way of prevention. I know several people in their 50s suffer from hearing loss, for no obvious cause. They didn't play band, didn't go concert or club, nothing suspicious. And doctors have yet to find the cause. That got me thinking if, apart from loudness, there are other obvious culprit for degenerating hearing
- AstralStorm 9y ago
  Vascular degeneration. (Otosclerosis.)
fernandotakai 9y ago
do you have any recommendations on earplugs? i go to a lot of concerts/festivals and i'm starting to realize my hearing is getting worse.
- klodolph 9y ago
  Every ear canal is different. That includes left vs right! Try a couple different types and you'll find one that works for you. The common types are the disposable foam ones (just a simple cylinder or rounded cylinder cut out of foam), the molded flexible ones (kind of like earbuds, you can reuse them), and the moldable ones (wax or silicone balls). My personal preference is for the disposable foam, they're the most comfortable and reliable for my ears. The cheapest disposable foam ones I find are a little hard to use and sometimes uncomfortable, so spending a couple extra bucks on a better brand made a big difference. But different people like different kinds. The silicone balls and foam earplugs can be bought at the local drugstore and they're fairly inexpensive. The reusable ones you'll find at hardware stores or musical instrument stores. The ones at musical instrument stores are designed to let you hear the music accurately, just quieter. If you want to spend a bit of extra $$ for something great and comfortable, you can get custom-molded earplugs designed to fit your ear canal. If you're a musician who plays live you'll probably want to drop the $700 or so it costs to get custom in-ear monitors. There's also a bit of technique involved putting the things in so that they stay put, they're comfortable, and they still let you have a conversation. For the disposable foam plugs you can buy everywhere, I roll them into a tiny cylinder, tilt my head at a certain angle, and use my other hand to pull back on my ear to put the plug in. After using them enough times, I've gotten a pretty good feel for three different depths: medium depth for normal loud music, decent comfort, and stays in well; a shallow depth if I need to have conversations with other people while I'm wearing them, but they fall out sometimes; and the deepest depth for when I want to sleep in the middle of a bunch of noise. Also: don't make a habit out of sleeping with earplugs. I've definitely been in a few situations where I've gotten shit for wearing earplugs, but as I've gotten older I've stopped caring that other people think I'm lame for wearing them. I always tell them that I love music, and I want to be able to listen to music four decades from now. Just a few stories from people with hearing loss or tinnitus is enough to scare you into wearing earplugs. Just ask Craig Gill.