11 reasons why you should test your hearing
Hearing loss happens. It’s the third most common health problem for older adults in the U.S., after arthritis and heart disease. Hearing loss is also very treatable — and more beneficial when treatment is started early. If you suspect you have hearing loss, here are 11 reasons why you should schedule a hearing test and…
What is mild hearing loss?
Mild hearing loss may sound, umm, mild, but it’s quite the misnomer. Professionals classify any hearing thresholds between 25-40 dB to be a mild hearing loss. But short of measuring your hearing loss precisely, how can you tell if you have mild hearing loss? People with a mild hearing loss tend to be able to…
Is hearing loss avoidable?
That’s a great question, and a complicated one to answer! Hearing loss can be caused by a multitude of things: some are preventable and some are not. For me to write about everything that can cause hearing loss — and then all the ways to avoid each cause — would make for a very long…
Subtle hearing loss in young adults can alter brain function
Research found that young people with subtle hearing loss are altering their brain function in ways typically only seen in older adults. As a result, they could be paving the way for dementia. Researcher Yune Lee and his team monitored the brain activity of study participants 18 through 41 years of age as they listened…
At the gym, turn up the beat, not the dB!
Have you set a goal to get healthier this year? Are you going to the gym or perhaps a workout class a few times a week? Congratulations on setting your goal and taking steps to reach it! With the rising popularity of fitness classes and niche workout gyms, loud music goes in parallel with the…
“I can hear but I can’t understand”
One of the first things people with hearing loss observe is “I hear people fine, but I don’t understand what they are saying.” This is a consistent complaint of individuals who are experiencing the effects of a “sloping high frequency hearing loss.“ What’s happening and why do so many have this complaint? Hearing loss involves…
All Ears: If I have tinnitus, does it mean I also have hearing loss?
Tinnitus is defined as “the hearing of sound when no external sound is present.” It is one of the most common complaints reported to hearing healthcare professionals. Certainly, tinnitus is associated with hearing loss. That doesn’t mean, though, that if one has tinnitus, hearing loss is also present. Why tinnitus and hearing loss typically come…
Can treating hearing loss help prevent dementia?
A study published in The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, called dementia “the greatest global challenge for health and social care in the 21st century.” The study, conducted by The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care, noted that 50 million people have dementia worldwide — and that the number is expected…
5 reasons to treat hearing loss
So you’ve got a little hearing loss. What’s the big deal, right? It happens to almost all of us as we age. FACT: 37.5 million Americans 18 and older have hearing loss, including one out of every three, 60 and older. You can cope, you’ve decided. You’ll just turn the TV up a little louder. Ask…
Repeat after me: hearing loss is treatable
Have you heard the saying, “it’s funny because it’s true”? This cartoon definitely falls under that category (though, admittedly, funny is a subjective concept). If you’re close to someone with hearing loss, it should at least resonate. We’ve all been there — acting as the translator…the repeater. If you have hearing loss, it should feel…
