A question we often get in our clinic is whether a patient is too young to acquire a hearing loss challenge. We see dozens of people from a variety of age groups, and it’s a valid question to have—after all, age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, is still the reigning cause of hearing loss across America.
But on the other hand, hearing loss can be caused by many other factors: noise exposure, genetics, infections, medication side effects, and trauma can cause hearing loss from a much younger age than most people expect.
Nobody is too young, or too old, to experience hearing loss. What matters is how you move to treat it.
How Did I Get Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss can be caused by a variety of external factors, including age, but for some people, hearing loss comes a lot earlier than expected due to a genetic predisposition to having hearing loss challenges, medication side effects, noise-induced hearing loss, or chronic ear infections.
The second-most common way to get hearing loss in today’s loud world is through prolonged noise exposure. With improvements in speakers, headphones, and other sound technology, we often don’t realize how much our hearing is affected by turning up the volume.
More young people are reporting signs of hearing loss with prolonged use of their personal devices and headphones, especially because some can reach max noise levels of 100 decibels (dB); just 20 minutes of exposure to volume that loud can cause damage.
However, hearing loss isn’t to be seen as a bad thing. It can be scary to come to terms with your hearing loss challenge, but think of it this way: a hearing loss proves that you’ve had a busy, boisterous life, full of loud experiences and exciting live events. You’re not too old, or too young—you’ve been too busy living your life!
Thankfully, while hearing loss has many causes, its treatment is remarkably easy. With the help of professional hearing care, involving hearing assessments, assistive technology, and regular ear cleanings, you can keep your hearing clear and crisp, no matter your age.
How Can Professional Hearing Care Help Me?
Getting your hearing assessed by a hearing care professional can help you take control of your hearing health; understanding your current range of hearing allows you to see how your hearing changes over time, as you get older.
Untreated hearing loss has been linked to several negative health conditions, including balance disorders, cognitive decline, social isolation, and dementia. With just one hearing test, you’ll be well on your way to learning how to look after your ears and avoid all of those in one fell swoop.
Regular hearing assessments can help you see what’s going on in your hearing and take steps to remedy it, whether that be with hearing aids or turning down the volume on your car radio. Every little step toward better hearing helps!
For questions about hearing care, or if you’d like to chat with a professional about your unique situation, please feel free to request a callback and we’ll get in touch as soon as we can to help you out. Alternatively, for a more immediate conversation, you can call us during office hours at (337) 436-3277.
