Things have changed in your life. You’re struggling to make sense of conversations, especially in a noisy environment; you’re not hearing well on the phone; your ears feel stuffy all the time; and you’re missing sounds you used to hear with total clarity.
If you’re young and experiencing these and similar hearing challenges, then you’re probably wondering, “Am I too young to have hearing loss?”
Most believe that hearing loss only happens to people in their later years. In reality, in our years of treating hearing loss, we have seen plenty of cases in younger individuals, and their numbers continue to grow.
Among the main causes of hearing loss in younger people are concerts blasting loud music, construction sites booming with equipment use, music playing too loudly in your earbuds, and an overall increase of noise in our daily lives.
The truth of the matter is that nobody is too old, or too young, to experience hearing loss.
What Causes Hearing Loss in Younger People?
A National Health Survey conducted by the CDC in 2014 revealed that approximately 15 percent of all American adults over the age of 18 experience some sort of hearing challenge.
Though most hearing loss cases are age-related, hearing loss can affect anyone, regardless of age. Various factors can cause hearing challenges among younger people as well, including:
Genetics:
If an individual’s parents or grandparents wore hearing aids, there’s a chance that they will have some degree of hearing loss themself. In babies, 50 to 60 percent of hearing loss is genetic; if more than one person has hearing loss in the family, then it counts as a genetic factor.
Infections and Diseases:
Sometimes, external factors like disease or infection can lead to hearing loss, which can often affect babies and small children, especially as they grow up.
Ototoxic Drugs:
Certain medications can damage your ears, causing hearing loss, ringing in the ear, or balance disorders. There are more than 200 known ototoxic medications (prescription and over the counter) on the market today. Hearing and balance problems caused by these drugs can sometimes be reversed when the drug therapy is discontinued, but sometimes the damage is permanent.
Frequent Exposure to Noise:
An increasing number of younger people are reporting signs of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) thanks to the use of personal devices along with earbuds or headphones. NIHL is becoming more frequent, especially with the improvements in technology surrounding speakers, headphones, and other music players. Many headphones and MP3 players can reach maximum levels of 120 decibels—equivalent to a rock concert!
Whether because you enjoy loud music, you work in a loud space like an airport runway or a construction site, or any of various other known causes, you’re never too young to experience hearing loss. So, what’s your next step?
Regular Hearing Assessments Can Help
Most people monitor their cholesterol and blood pressure, get their eyes tested regularly, go to their dentist for regular checkups, and schedule annual physicals. All of these help ensure that you’re able to catch health problems early.
What about your hearing?
The third most common health issue among Americans is hearing loss. So, doesn’t it make sense to monitor your hearing health as well?
Having your hearing tested and assessed by a hearing professional can help you to understand your hearing loss and the options available to you.
Fortunately, the Fox Valley ENT team is more than able to help you with any questions you may have about your hearing. Your hearing loss may not be causing you major distress. Maybe it is just annoying, causing you problems like: constantly asking people to repeat themselves, missing important information at work, missing parts of the conversation, or finding social environments increasingly difficult to manage.
Quite often, after becoming cognizant of a hearing challenge, it’ll take people up to seven years to address it, which can affect cognitive abilities in the long run. The quicker we can identify what’s going on, the quicker we can treat the hearing loss and get you back on track—especially if your hearing loss is related to another medical condition that needs attention from another doctor.
Here Is What to Expect from a Hearing Assessment
During a hearing assessment, we’ll do a physical examination of your ears, looking for signs of wax buildup, infection, or damage to your eardrums. There are often easy fixes for these issues.
Following an examination of your ears, your doctor will conduct a series of tests to determine the lowest level of sound you can hear at various frequencies as well as conduct a speech test with background noise for a real-world understanding of your hearing challenges.
Our Hear Wellness Assessment at Fox Valley ENT includes a more detailed assessment of your hearing that looks at lots of other factors that may be affecting your hearing, and how your hearing could be affecting your day-to-day activities.
Hearing assessments are for people of all ages and of all levels of hearing loss; there’s no milestone birthday for when your hearing will start to decline, even if age does play a significant role in loss of hearing.
Are You Worried About Your Hearing?
If you have been experiencing various warning signs of hearing loss, like muffled hearing or speech, trouble following conversations in a noisy place, stuffiness/fullness in your ears, frequently asking others to repeat themselves, needing to turn up the volume on the TV or radio, and/or ringing in your ears, now is the time to address it.
Contact Fox Valley ENT to schedule a comprehensive hearing assessment using this link or give us a call at your local Northern Illinois clinic:
Algonquin: (847) 854-0005,
Elgin: (847) 741-8500,
St. Charles: (630) 377-5000,
Huntley: (847) 741-8500.
