A Brief Look At Age Related Hearing Loss

June 17, 2022 • age related hearing loss • high frequency • high frequency hearing loss • presbycusis

Quick Summary

In the United States, approximately 1 in 3 people aged 65-74 suffer from hearing loss, and almost half of people older than 75 have hearing loss. Hearing loss can make it difficult for seniors to enjoy their life and has even been linked to conditions like depression and dementia. Therefore, it’s important to know what the signs are and how it happens. It’s also important to know how to prevent further complications from age related hearing loss and how to treat it.

What is Age Related Hearing Loss?

True to its name, age related hearing loss (or presbycusis) is gradual, irreversible hearing loss that occurs as part of the aging process. It is one of the most common conditions that affect the elderly.

Some symptoms or signs of age related hearing loss include:

Speech sounding muffled or slurred, especially for higher pitch voices like women or children
Having difficulty distinguishing certain high-pitched sounds such as “s” and “th”

Some noises sounding overly loud or more annoying

It is important to note that for presbycusis, a person tends to lose their ability to hear high frequencies first. It is common for a person to not be able to hear sounds such as alarms and other sharp noises but hear low frequency sounds such as the rumble of a truck that passes by.

How does Age Related Hearing Loss Occur?

Presbycusis is usually due to changes in the inner ear or the auditory nerve. These changes tend to be gradual and most often affect the hair cells that are present in the inner ear. These hair cells are responsible for detecting sound from the environment and play an important role in hearing.

When these hair cells become damaged, they no longer function properly and cannot detect certain sounds from the environment. This damage is permanent and cannot be cured. Usually, the hair cells that receive high frequency sounds are the first ones to be damaged in the aging process. This causes the characteristic loss in the ability to hear higher pitch sounds.

There are other factors that contribute to presbycusis besides the aging process. This may include some medications that are ototoxic (harmful to the ear), genetic conditions or certain health problems (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.) and repeated or severe exposure to noise.

Can I Prevent Age Related Hearing Loss?

While there is no way to prevent hearing loss from aging, you can still protect your hearing from other factors that are within your control.

First, you have to be aware of the sounds that can cause hearing damage. Not all sounds affect your ear in the same way and you may be able to tolerate some noises for a period of time without suffering hearing damage while other sounds may cause immediate hearing damage.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) lists any noise above 85 dB as harmful to your hearing. Prolonged exposure to noises above 85 dB can cause hearing damage over time, whereas any sound over 120 dB can cause immediate damage and loss of hearing.

A chart from WebMD showing the various sounds that can affect hearing and their strength measured in decibels.

A chart showing the average decibels of common sounds. Source: WebMD

The easiest way to protect your hearing is to avoid loud noises in the first place. When that is not possible, it is recommended you have earmuffs or earplugs on hand to protect your hearing from these noises. You should also take frequent breaks from listening to things such as the radio or television to give your ears a chance to rest. For other health conditions or medication that affects hearing loss, it is best to consult with your doctor to find the right solutions.

What if I already have age related hearing loss? How can I treat it?

As mentioned previously, once you have age related hearing loss, it is irreversible. Therefore, it is important to seek treatment in order to address the hearing loss you currently have and prevent or delay additional conditions that may occur due to age related hearing loss.

We always recommend visiting your healthcare provider in the event you experience new hearing loss or if it seems your hearing loss is getting worse. For age related hearing loss, unfortunately, there is no surgery or medication that can cure it.

The best treatment is hearing aids. While hearing aids will not cure presbycusis, it does help amplify sounds and make them louder and clearer. Audiologists are specialists that are specifically trained to test for and treat hearing loss. They do provide hearing tests and can recommend specific hearing aids based on the test results. Audiologists can tune hearing aids for your specific hearing needs and can continue to make necessary adjustments.

However, some people may have difficulty paying for these specialized hearing aids, as prices range anywhere from $900 to $6000 or higher. There are more affordable options called direct-to-consumer (DTC) hearing aids that allow you to purchase aids from online stores. They will then ship directly to your home. The downside to this method is that the hearing aids are not personalized to your hearing needs. However, many age-related hearing loss cases are similar, primarily affecting high frequencies. DTC aids can be tuned for high frequency hearing loss, which would still provide some benefit even if it does not fit your needs exactly.

Conclusion

Age related hearing loss is very common in older adults and is usually due to changes in the ear and brain as a result of aging. There are other external factors that can affect their hearing further, such as exposure to loud noise or medical conditions. While you cannot prevent age related hearing loss, you can take steps to protect your hearing to avoid making it worse or causing other forms of hearing loss. While presbycusis is irreversible, there are still medical devices like hearing aids that can help people hear certain sounds louder and clearer. There are many types of hearing aids for sale but the ones at the audiologist’s office can be costly. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) hearing aids are a more affordable option and still provide the benefits of having a hearing aid.

If you are in need of hearing assistance or know a loved one who struggles with hearing problems, Neosonic products may help. Our products are designed for mild to severe hearing loss and help with high frequency hearing loss, age-related or otherwise.

We understand that hearing loss can deeply affect your quality of life as well as your relationships with friends and family. We also know that hearing aids can be very expensive and that not everyone can afford the steep prices that some of these hearing companies charge. This is why we offer our products at much more affordable prices. We do this by cutting out the middle man and passing the savings on to you. If you’re interested, you can always reach out to us and we’ll do our best to help you pick a product that works for you.

← Older Post Newer Post →

Works perfect for severe hearing loss

Been hard of hearing since birth. Prescribe hearing aids are broken. Decided to tried OTC hearing aids, none seems to work with the type of hearing loss I have. I decided to try this amplifier neckband, its works perfect for me. I'll recommend this amplifier neckband to anyone with severe hearing loss.

Good product, tech needs to be simpler for elderly

I bought this for my father, who has hearing loss but is also very sensitive to loud noises and background noise, so regular hearing aids are a problem. He also has dementia, so people thought his not participating or tracking conversations was due to that. This proved us all wrong. When using the remote mic, he is able to join the conversation and not be disturbed by loud background noises. The only problem is, it's difficult to know what settings it's on to make it function the way we want for him, and it's also easy for him to accidentally switch modes by handling the collar after I've set it up for him. So this doesn't get used unless I'm there to do it. The staff at the nursing home and my mother (and even brother) can't seem to figure it out. If only this were easier to just turn on and have it function with the remote mic easily, and for others to be able to see the settings, this would be a home run for us. So I'm searching for something else that works like this but is simpler to use. Also, I wish it would have longer battery life.

Older NW10s were good

I had two NW10s because the mics only last 10 hours vs. 20 on the necklace, and the necklaces did not pair well with the other mic. One mic started only lasting 4 to 5 hours. Bought a 3rd NW10.

One side of the other NW10 got plugged. Ordered a 4th NW10 because of the mic pairing problem.

The newer NW10s kept having mic cut-out problems, even just lying watching TV.

The NW20 works MUCH better with the mic and does mic pairing with an older NW10 mic. However, now having troubles with controls on NW20 not working after charging.

Perfect for people who have headaches wearing regular hearing aids

I spent thousands of dollars on Regular Hearing Aids. Always had head aches. I started using Neosonic Head Band. I am enjoying my conversation with my family members, Doctors and Friends without any head ache. I love this unit and enjoying watching TV. I recommended to my friends and relatives. They too are now enjoying having Neosonic Neck Band. I bought one extra as a spare. When I send one unit for repairs I can use spare.

Great hearing aid

I have been wearing hearing aids for the past 24 years. The first pair I had were speaker in the canal. They were great but cost $4800. I wore them until they were no longer useful. Then I went without any aids for awhile until I found my first pair of online aids. The company was very good with exchanges until I got the correct pair. Went through several pairs - when new improved models became available.. The last pair I received I couldn't talk on the phone and sent them back. That's when I found Neosonic MX-RIC. I have been wearing these for several months. It takes a little time to get the correct setting, but once you found it...WOW! What a difference from the other aids. Neosonic MX-RIC is the way to go for me. I can hear a lot that I didn't hear before with the other aids and it has almost no high pitched sounds when inserting or removing the aids. The battery life is good. I did find that my ears produce more wax so I clean them daily. I wear them from morning till bed time and by then I forget I have them on. But when my head hits the pillow and I hear my husband talking to me it dawns to me, why can I understand him? That's when I realize I forgot to take them off. I've tried in the canal aids and behind the ear aids made by several sifferent companies in different price ranges. The Neosonic MX-RIC behind the ear is the best aid for the money for me. BTW I can now use my cell phone.

Perfect for riding on my stationary bike

With the equalization boost right where my hearing loss is greatest. Set up with the remote unit, works fine. Highly recommended.

Best Hearing Aid for your Money

Not only the best for your money, but compared to price range of $3,000 plus hearing aids, I would take this one in a heartbeat! I tried the well advertised cheap ones and the top of the line expensive ones. This is a true hearing aid not an amplifier! The adjustments allow you to customize them for your surroundings and hearing needs. A good feature is after charging they remember your previous settings. I have used them over a year now and had an issue with one of them. Their support team is just as good as their hearing aids, they resolved my issue in a timely manner.
Thank you Neosonic!!!