Listen up: What can we do to protect our hearing as we age?

As the world around us gets noisier, even younger generations are beginning to struggle with hearing loss, so taking steps to mitigate any long-term damage is vital

Amr El Refaie, head of audiology at University College Cork: "Often, people experiencing hearing loss may not notice it as it can happen gradually."

Hearing loss affects 300,000 people in Ireland, or about 8% of the population. Although the loss is typically associated with ageing, the world has become louder, and younger people today are exposing their ears to audio at higher volumes during gigs and through headphones.

Ageing and exposure to loud noise can work together. “So the older we get, the more impact noise will have on our hearing system,” explains Amr El Refaie, head of audiology at University College Cork.

It’ll come as no surprise to most people that our likelihood of experiencing hearing loss increases as we age: Some 50% of people over 50 and 70% of people over 70 in Ireland experience some form of hearing loss.

Often, people experiencing hearing loss may not notice it as it can happen gradually, says El Refaie: “Their partner or someone who lives with them may notice that they have the volume on the TV turned up higher, or they can struggle hearing people in a social situation.”

El Refaie cautions that hearing loss does not just happen to older people: “The less noise we are affected by during our lives, the better it will be in the long term. That can be difficult with the life we are living now. For example, young people are listening to a lot more music and are exposed to a lot more recreational noise, and our lives are noisier in general.”

Indeed, audiologist Francis Lennox of Lennox Hearing Care Clinic says they are seeing more young people coming in to get fitted for a hearing aid.

“Exposure to music in their ears over a certain decibel and over time, is damaging their hearing; they’re listening to too much loud music for too long,” says Lennox.

This on-the-ground experience tallies with World Health Organization estimates that 1.1bn young people worldwide may be at risk of hearing loss due to indiscriminate exposure to high-intensity noise.

Turn down the volume

Loud noises or excessive volume is generally regarded as anything over 85 decibels. To put this into perspective, a food blender or hair dryer can hit 80 decibels. If you go to a gig or a club, you are exposed to noise levels of between 110 and 120 decibels, according to El Refaie.

It’s not just the loud noise in isolation, though — a blender isn’t going to necessarily damage your hearing because you’re typically only exposed to it for a short burst. However, regularly going to loud club nights or listening to music at a high level for a couple of hours every day will affect your hearing over time.

Lennox says, “Listening to music or noise above 85 decibels, frequently, will have an effect in the long term.”

The hearing organ, called the cochlea — a snail-shaped structure in the inner ear — contains thousands of delicate hair cells, he adds. If you were to unroll it you would see rows of these cells, which can be damaged by excessive noise. Once these hair cells are damaged, they do not regenerate, making the hearing loss permanent.

There are different types of ear protection available, from in-ear solutions to ear defenders.

“Ear protection is important for people exposed to loud noises regularly, like musicians or factory workers,” says El Refaie.

“For children attending concerts, wearing ear defenders protects them from excessive noise. Both the level and duration of noise exposure matter, so using ear defenders can help.”

Get regular hearing tests

Lennox says: “With hearing loss, the earlier the detection, the better. If you’re going for a medical with your GP, you should consider getting a hearing test. And if there’s a slight loss, they can deal with it now, before it gets too bad.

El Refaie adds: “There are some arguments that after the age of 50 or 55 you should have regular hearing tests, even if you don’t feel that you have any kind of hearing problems.

“Checking regularly will mean you can see even if there is a mild deterioration in high frequencies, and then there are a lot of ways to make sure you are protecting your ears more, like using ear protection.”

Avoid using cotton buds

“The ear is very sensitive and you can reach the eardrum very easily, says El Refaie. “Remember, it’s only 2cm from the outside of the ear to the eardrum, so it’s not really a very long canal. I would advise against putting anything inside the ear at all.”

If you push a cotton bud, or anything, right in against the tympanic membrane, or your eardrum, “it could perforate and damage it”, explains Lennox.

“If you have a hearing loss and do not wear a hearing aid, the hearing mechanism [the acicular chain] becomes somewhat dormant and can deteriorate more quickly.

“Wearing a hearing aid stimulates the hearing system and keeps it active, which helps to maintain hearing function and keeps the brain engaged with sound,” says Lennox.

Not treating hearing loss by wearing a hearing aid can greatly impact a person’s quality of life, according to El Refaie: “Hearing loss can make it harder to recognise speech, participate in conversations, and engage socially, which may lead to isolation or frustration.

“There is also research that suggests untreated hearing loss, especially in older adults, can impact their cognitive abilities. Hearing aids have long had a stigma to them, but today they are much more discreet and have technological features such as sophisticated sound processing that minimises background noise. They’ve come a long way.”