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Do you find yourself having to ask people to repeat themselves more often than not these days, especially in crowded or noisy environments? There is a good chance that you are dealing with the onset of hearing loss. Perhaps you’ve even gone as far to have a hearing test and the results came back showing no hearing loss at all? Some hearing loss is difficult to pick up by a normal audiogram. At Hearing Aid Services of Antioch, we call this hidden hearing loss.
What is Hidden Hearing Loss?
Perhaps you have no problem hearing and comprehending what people are saying in the quiet of your home or office but struggle to hear on the street or in crowded bars. Similarly you may have no problem at all hearing in the sound controlled environment of an Hearing Health office, while you may struggle to hear in the noisy parking lot outside.
This is because hidden hearing isn’t an ear issue as much as a problem with processing sound in the brain. While this may sound serious it is a fairly common condition. Many don’t understand the full extent of people affected by hidden hearing loss, the CDC reports that one in 4 people ages 20 to 69 reported that their hearing was healthy even as they were found to have hidden hearing damage.
What Causes Hidden Hearing Loss?
Researchers have struggled to understand why and how hidden hearing loss occurs. Researchers at the University of Michigan explored the causes of hidden hearing loss. The study found that hidden hearing loss occurs in the brain, particularly in what are called Schwann cells in the brain.
These cells are responsible for creating myelin, which insulates the neural pathways that connect the ears and the brain. When Schwann cells cannot create Myelin for insulation, auditory signals struggle to reach the brain creating hidden hearing loss. Even if the Myelin can be regenerated hearing loss often remains permanent.
The study also found that another factor in hidden hearing loss occurs in damage to the synapse that connects cells of the inner ear to the neurons that transmit sound to the brain. While it only takes a few neurons to transmit sound to the ear in quiet settings, in a crowd, the brain must prioritize which sounds are most important to hear. In these instances your brain struggles to prioritize sound with limited neurons. This is another reason why it is so hard to catch hidden hearing loss with standard tests.
Noise Pollution and Hidden Hearing Loss
The study found that one of the largest factors which leads to hidden hearing loss was excessive noise. There are sounds all around us, and many of them can be beautiful, but when sounds become loud or irritating it is referred to as noise pollution. For those of us in loud urban environments, noise pollution can be hard to escape.
Study lead, Dr. Gabriel Corfas, director of the Kresge Hearing Research Institute at Michigan Medicine’s department of otolaryngology, reports that he is concerned particularly about the hearing of children and teens, which deal with noise pollution in early life. “Exposure to noise is increasing in our society, and children are exposing themselves to high levels of noise very early in life,” says Corfas. “It’s clear that being exposed to high levels of sound might contribute to increases in hidden hearing loss.”
Treating Hidden Hearing Loss
It is important to practice healthy listening habits from an early age. As young kids listen to headphones, it is important to make sure they know to keep the volume at a safe level and take a listening break. It is also a good idea to carry ear plugs with you wherever you go. You never know when you’ll encounter construction or a harmful listening environment.
If you suspect that you are struggling with hidden hearing loss make sure to schedule an appointment to have your hearing tested. We will make sure to test your hearing in a noisy and quiet environment so your hearing loss doesn’t remain hidden. The best treatment for hidden hearing loss is currently hearing aids, which will help you hear the sound you may be missing in crowds. Set up an appointment today and get back to hearing your best and enjoying your life to the fullest.