How to understand that you lose hearing? How to detect the problem in time and eliminate further deterioration? What is hidden hearing loss and is it possible to prevent it? - 2018

Have you ever found it difficult to hear that with such enthusiasm you are trying to carry a friend through the crowd at a noisy party? You may be suffering from a disease called hidden hearing loss.

Standard tests that test hearing will not detect this problem, but, in fact, even those whose hearing seems ideal are subjected to it. Especially at risk are those who live in a noisy metropolis. (Habitual ritual - ear brushing with cotton buds also leads to problems with hearing).

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We live in a really noisy world. We can not objectively check the impact of noise exposed throughout life. But when scientists conduct such tests, they ask questions such as: Do you mow the lawn often? You like loud music ? Positive people usually have hidden hearing problems.

So why can you just hear perfectly in the doctor's office but not friends in a crowded bar? In a healthy ear, sound waves are picked up by hair cells and processed into signals that can be interpreted by the brain. As we age or are exposed to extremely loud sounds, these hair cells can be damaged, or they can die, causing a so-called standard hearing loss.

In the ear with hidden hearing loss, synapses are damaged, which transmit signals from the hair cells. Having lost them, your ear loses its ability to filter out background noise. Accordingly, focusing on important conversations becomes difficult.

Standard tests measure hearing sensitivity with auditory tones. The new study, which helps to identify hidden hearing loss, requires to highlight the spoken phrases among the louder static background noise.

Today, a method of treating hidden hearing loss has not yet been invented. But some researchers, such as Lieberman, are gradually making headway in developing a drug that can repair damaged synapses.

Hearing should be protected, not hoping for body regenerative abilities or at innovative discoveries of scientists. Human body - perfect system with a huge margin of safety. According to scientists, even a significant reduction in working systems “hair cell - synapse - the fiber of the auditory nerve”, can go unnoticed for a long time in ordinary life.

The best advice for those who want to avoid hearing loss: limit exposure to the loud environment, wear ear protection when driving and just turn up the music.