Hearing loss is currently a public health concern and scientists think that it will become a lot more common for individuals in their 20’s to be wearing hearing aids.
When you consider serious hearing loss, thoughts of elderly people might come to mind. But over the past few years, there has been an increase in hearing loss impacting all age groups. Hearing loss obviously isn’t an aging problem it’s a growing epidemic and the rising instances among all age groups demonstrates this.
Among adults 20 and up, researchers forecast that hearing loss will rise by 40%. The healthcare community sees this as a major public health issue. According to John Hopkins medical researchers, one out of five people is already experiencing hearing loss so severe it makes communication difficult.
Hearing loss is rising among all age groups and here is why experts think that is.
Added Health Issues Can be The Outcome of Hearing Loss
Serious hearing loss is a terrible thing to experience. Day-to-day communication becomes difficult, aggravating, and fatiguing. It can cause individuals to stop doing what they enjoy and withdraw from friends and family. If you don’t get help, it’s nearly impossible to be active while enduring significant hearing loss.
It’s not only diminished hearing that individuals with neglected hearing loss are afflicted by. They’re much more likely to develop:
- Anxiety
- Dementia
- Other severe health problems
- Cognitive decline
- Depression
- Injuries from recurring falls
They’re also more likely to have problems with their personal relationships and might have trouble getting basic needs met.
people who endure hearing loss are affected in their personal lives and could also have increased:
- Healthcare expenses
- Disability rates
- Insurance costs
- Needs for public support
- Accident rates
We need to fight hearing loss as a society because as these factors demonstrate, hearing loss is a significant obstacle.
What’s Contributing to Increased Hearing Loss Across All Age Groups?
The current rise in hearing loss can be attributed to a number of factors. The increased cases of some common conditions that trigger hearing loss is one factor, including:
- Diabetes
- Anxiety and unmanaged stress
- Poor diet and a lack of consistent exercise
- Cardiovascular disease
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
These disorders and other related conditions are contributing to increased hearing loss because they’re affecting people at younger ages.
Lifestyle also plays a major role in the increased occurrence of hearing loss. In work and recreational areas specifically, it’s becoming more common to be exposed to loud sound. We’re being exposed to loud noises and music in more places and modern technology is getting louder. Young people who regularly go to the following places have the highest level of hearing loss:
- Gyms
- Factories
- Shooting ranges
- Bars, clubs, and concerts
Additionally, many people are choosing to wear earbuds and crank their music up to dangerous levels. And a larger number of people are now making use of painkillers, either to manage chronic pain or recreationally. Opiates, aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen will raise your risk of hearing loss especially if taken over a extended time periods.
How is Hearing Loss as a Health Crisis Being Dealt With by Society?
Hearing loss is getting the attention of local, national, and world organizations. They’re doing work to prevent this upward trend by educating the public on hearing loss such as:
- Treatment possibilities
- Prevention
- Risk factors
- Research
These organizations also encourage individuals to:
- Get their hearing checked earlier in their lives
- Use their hearing aids
- Recognize their degree of hearing loss risk
Hearing loss will become severe with any delay in these measures.
Researchers, healthcare providers, and government organizations are seeking solutions. They’re also looking for ways to bring hearing-loss associated costs down. This will help improve accessibility to state-of-the-art hearing technologies that greatly enhance lives.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with scientists and organizations to create comprehensive strategies. They are integrating awareness, education, and health services to reduce the risk of hearing loss in underserved groups.
Local leaders are being made aware of the health affect of noise by being given researched-based guidelines for communities. They work with communities to decrease resident’s noise exposure and instruct them on what safe levels of noise are. Additionally, they are facilitating research on how opiate use and abuse can raise the chance of hearing loss.
Can You do Anything?
Hearing loss is a public health problem so keep yourself informed. Take steps to slow the development of your own hearing loss and share practical information with others.
Have your own hearing tested if you suspect you’re dealing with hearing loss. Be sure you get and wear your hearing aids if you find that you need them.
Avoiding hearing loss is the ultimate goal. When you wear your hearing aids, you help people recognize they’re not alone. You’re bringing awareness about the issue of hearing loss in your community. This awareness has the power to improve attitudes, actions, and policies.