Hearing is an important part of life – however it is all too easy to take it for granted, and it is only something that you notice when something goes wrong. Hearing damage can happen gradually over a period of time or suddenly and can be permanent. To protect your hearing, it is essential to be aware of the things that can cause damage to it, and make sure that you go and see a professional like this audiologist Cheltenham based professional www.imperialhearing.com/audiologist-near-me/cheltenham if you have concerns about your hearing, don’t just leave it and hope it will fix itself.
A very common cause of hearing damage is exposure to loud noise. Any sound that is over 85 decibels can potentially cause damage to your hearing, the higher over that you go and the longer that you are exposed for increases the risk.
This occurs because the tiny hairs that are inside the ear can become damaged. These hairs are what send signals to the brain, so if they are damaged in any way, they can end up sending other sounds to the brain, such as whistling, popping or ringing noises – when your ears ring after being at a concert, this is a sign of damage to the hairs in the ear and although it usually goes away, for many people it doesn’t and this is then called tinnitus.
In addition to loud noises, other things can affect hearing – some types of drugs that are used for other conditions can affect hearing, as well as head injuries and a build up of ear wax. Often, this goes away, but it is important to speak to your doctor if you have hearing loss, especially if you are not sure of the cause.