Types of Hearing Loss
When thinking about hearing loss you may assume every loss is the same. But that is not true. Not only is hearing loss measured in degrees, but there are also different types. Hearing loss is categorized in three types: conductive, sensorineural, and mixed.
Conductive hearing loss is less common and occurs when there is a problem with sound being conducted from the outer and middle ear to the inner ear. This is often due to a blockage or a problem within the middle ear, such as earwax impaction, ear infection, fluid in the middle ear, ruptured eardrum, or an abnormality in the ear. This type of hearing loss is correctable by a medical doctor.
Sensorineural hearing loss is more common and occurs when there is damage to the hair cells within the inner ear (which are responsible for hearing). Causes include age, genetics, loud noise exposure, ototoxic medications, or underlying health conditions (i.e., heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes). This type of hearing loss is irreversible but can be managed with hearing aids.
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural. Treatment for this type of hearing loss will include visiting a medical doctor to treat the conductive portion and using hearing aids to manage the sensorineural portion.
Signs of Hearing Loss
The most common cases of hearing loss occur gradually, over the course of a few years. For this reason, it can be difficult to notice the signs right away. If you have noticed you aren’t hearing as well as you used to, we encourage you to schedule a hearing check-up.
Some common signs of hearing loss include:
- Sounds seem muffled
- You can hear but you lack clarity
- You frequently ask people to repeat themselves
- It’s difficult to hear when there is background noise
- You need to turn the volume up on the TV higher than others like
- You often miss parts of the conversation
- You hear a ringing in your ears
Hearing and Brain Health
It’s important to understand the role hearing has on your overall health and well-being. Good hearing not only helps with communication, but it also promotes brain health. The brain relies on hearing ability for stimulation. When left untreated, hearing loss makes it difficult to understand and forces the brain to work harder to hear the little it can. This can lead to mental fatigue, depression, social isolation, and cognitive decline.
To keep your brain healthy, it’s important to manage hearing loss at the first signs. Hearing aids can help by providing your brain with the sounds it has been missing. This makes it easier for you to not only hear, but to comprehend and remember information.
Take care of your cognitive abilities by scheduling a hearing exam today!
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is described as hearing a sound in your head or ears that is not externally present. The phantom sounds of tinnitus often manifest themselves as a buzzing, humming, ringing, whizzing, or whistling. Tinnitus can range drastically in pitch, frequency, and volume, affecting everyone differently.
If you suffer from constant, annoying tinnitus, relief is possible. At Oliver Audiology, we have a special focus in tinnitus and are dedicated to helping our patients live more enhanced lives, free from ringing in the ears.
If you have tinnitus in conjunction with hearing loss, hearing aids can help. We carry hearing aids that have a tinnitus masking feature that can be controlled from your smartphone. These devices can play soothing sounds in your ears to distract the brain from tinnitus.
If you are interested in tinnitus treatments, contact our office for more information.
