Hearing loss is now affecting younger age groups, but they are ignoring the problems. Here’s why it matters. Photo / Getty Images
Hearing loss is now affecting younger age groups, but they are ignoring the problems. Here’s why it matters. Photo / Getty Images
Most of us don’t think twice about booking an eye test if we’re struggling to see properly – but when it comes to problems with our hearing, we’re not quite so eager for a diagnosis.
Hearing loss can lead to social isolation, depression and even a greater chance of developing dementia, yet according to a new study from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), only 6 per cent of undiagnosed people had a hearing check in 2022 – by contrast, 53 per cent had a dental checkup, and 46 per cent had an eye test.
Despite the lack of action, 98 per cent said their hearing was vital to them – but the charity estimates that by 2035, there will be about 14.2 million UK adults with hearing loss greater than 25 decibels (this is the point at which you will begin to find it difficult to understand what someone is saying when there is a lot of background noise).
Part of the problem is a tendency to assume that hearing loss only affects “older” people – we’re all familiar with the cliché of bellowing polite questions at an ear-cupping 80-something. In truth, however, hearing loss is increasingly affecting a much younger age group – due largely to Generation X’s love of headphones and noisy gigs.
‘I’d stand by the big speaker stacks to get a better view’
Vic Paterson, 47, a therapist from Spalding, admits, “I spent most of my 20s and 30s going to indie gigs, and at 5ft 4in, I would always go to the front. One of my favourite bands had a lovely guitar player, so rather than stand in the middle, I’d head for the side of the stage, right next to the big speaker stacks, to get a better view.”
Back then, says Paterson, earplugs were “for losers”, and she became used to her ears buzzing after a gig.
“I started to notice that after some gigs, I’d have tinnitus, and though it would generally fade, the fading started to take longer,” she says.
“Then, after one particularly loud gig (Carter USM, at the Brixton Academy), it never really went at all.”
Paterson has not had a hearing test, believing nothing can be done. “I’ve had my ears syringed and it didn’t make any difference. I’m used to it now, and it gets louder when I’m tired, so it reminds me to get more sleep.”
Harmful levels of sound
Paterson is not alone, says Katie Ogden, a trainer for hearing-aid company ReSound. “The human ear has not evolved to manage loud noises,” says Ogden. “We are much more adapted to low-level and gentle sounds as a natural survival tool, so when we introduce artificially loud sound through headphones, we can damage our ears.”
Any level of sound at or over 85 decibels can be harmful to the ears, especially over long periods, she warns. “Music through headphones at maximum volume is 100 to 110 decibels, and listening for long periods can lead to significant hearing loss.” If you do use headphones, she adds, take 15-minute breaks, and never use them for more than an hour at a time.
Ogden explains that by constantly bombarding our ears with sound, we could be storing up future hearing difficulties. Photo / 123RF
Using headphones for hours at maximum volume is the equivalent sound level to using a chainsaw, according to the consumer website headphonesty.com, while an alarm clock is quieter, at 80 decibels, and 85 is similar to standing next to heavy traffic roaring past.
They suggest testing to see if you can still hear the sound on your headphones at a distance. “Remove your headphones while the music is still playing, and keep it at your usual volume level. Then, hold them out in front of you at arm’s length.” If you can hear the music clearly, try turning the volume down, repeating this until it’s almost inaudible. They advise keeping the volume at two-thirds of its potential setting, or about 60 per cent.
Future hearing difficulties
While years of getting through the day with a loud musical accompaniment and spending weekends crammed next to a speaker stack at gigs may not immediately cause hearing problems, Ogden explains that by constantly bombarding our ears with sound, we could be storing up future hearing difficulties.
“Our ears work by a sensory reaction in the brain following the vibration of tiny hairs within the inner ear,” says Ogden. “Movements in the air cause these hairs to vibrate in different ways and this is how we are able to hear different sounds.
“Loud music will increase the intensity of these vibrations and if you continue to listen for a prolonged amount of time, the hairs are unable to cope and can stop working properly.”
Vic Paterson attended many music gigs in her youth and now suffers from hearing problems. Photo / Getty Images
Many of us will recall having a ringing throb in the ears after leaving a loud concert, but then finding normal hearing swiftly restored.
But according to Bev Carter, senior hearing-aid audiologist at Hearing Direct, “The buzzing sensation you get when you have just left a gig or a concert is called ‘temporary cochlear fatigue’. This is when loud sounds enter your ear and blow the hair cells flat. When you are young, your hair cells will recover after an hour or so and the buzzing disappears,” she explains.
“But the more times this happens, the less likely it is that the hair cells will recover, causing permanent damage that becomes hearing loss. I’m not surprised by the recent report that so many young people are at risk of hearing loss due to their lifestyle.”
Hearing aids
A further study by Boots Hearingcare recently found that almost a fifth of people admit they may have hearing loss, but don’t wear a hearing aid, and one in six of the UK adult population is already living with hearing loss. Yet rather than have a test, and risk being advised to wear aids, the research found that, “often people with an untreated hearing loss make up excuses as to why they can’t hear”.
More than half blamed a “noisy environment”, 47 per cent put it down to others “mumbling” and 40 per cent insisted that people talk “too quietly”. Rather than expose a hearing problem, almost a third resorted to “guessing” what was being said. Many make adjustments, such as turning up the volume on the television, sitting closer in order to lipread, and talking less to avoid the back-and-forth of conversation.
According to charity Hearing Link, about 6.7 million people could benefit from hearing aids, but 46 per cent say they’d be ‘reluctant’ to wear one. Photo / Getty Images
According to charity Hearing Link, about 6.7 million people could benefit from hearing aids, but 46 per cent say they’d be “reluctant” to wear one. The old notion of a chunky, flesh-coloured device, buzzing and whistling, is clearly not cool enough for today’s midlifers, who’d rather go deaf than look “old”.
But Karen Shepherd, director of audiology at Boots Hearingcare says, “While traditionally, these [hearing aids] were deemed visually off-putting, most of the devices on offer these days are much smaller, more modern and nowhere near as prominent as they used to be.”
Shifting the conversation
More needs to be done, though, to encourage younger people with hearing loss to seek help, thinks Cerys James, of FutureBrand, a “brand transformation company”, who has recently worked with WS Audiology, the makers of one-third of hearing aids worn globally.
“Midlifers have historically been sidelined by hearing healthcare brands,” she says. “Despite hearing loss being one of the most common physical conditions adults face, the majority don’t actually seek treatment.” Tackling the problem, she thinks, means “the conversation needs to shift from hearing loss, which connotes ageing, to hearing health”.
Luckily, there’s plenty we can do to maintain our hearing into old age. Photo / Supplied
While solutions exist to alleviate hearing loss, there are good reasons to protect our hearing now – before it’s too late. A study of more than 16,000 people in Taiwan recently found a link between hearing loss and dementia, concluding that symptoms of hearing loss between the ages of 45 and 65 more than doubled the chance of a dementia diagnosis later in life.
Researchers from the University of Colorado found that hearing loss increases the brain’s cognitive load, which may explain the dementia link. Areas of the brain used for “higher level” thought adjust their purpose to help with sound recognition, but by making this jump, the structure of the brain can gradually alter, allowing “neglected regions” to deteriorate.
What can we do to maintain our hearing?
Luckily, there’s plenty we can do to maintain our hearing into old age.
“The simplest way to protect your ears from noise-induced damage is to keep control of the volume,” says Ogden. “Eighty decibels can be listened to for more than 25 hours straight without risk of hearing damage. Set your phone to safe maximum volume, and if you’re listening to music in a noisy environment, opt for noise-cancelling headphones rather than turning it up.”
If you smoke, or drink excessively, it’s also time to quit, she adds, as “smoking can have a huge impact on a person’s hearing health, with 70 per cent of smokers having a greater chance of developing hearing loss”. Drinking in large quantities over a long period of time can also contribute to a hearing impairment – “damage to the central auditory cortex of the brain can occur”.
And don’t use cotton buds to clean your ears. “You can push earwax further into the ear and the eardrum can rupture. Nothing smaller than your elbow should go in your ears!”
It’s also essential to factor in your work environment. “Anyone working in construction, music, on airport grounds, nightclubs, driving ambulances or on railways should be extremely conscious of their ears and always wear sufficient protection,” says Ogden.
Needless to say, that goes for gigs, too – no matter how handsome the guitarist may be.
