Hearing Health

The start of a new year is always a good time to take a closer look at our overall health and make a commitment to improve it.

One area we often neglect is our hearing health.

What’s your hearing like? Do you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves? Or perhaps you can’t hear as well when there is background noise or music? Or maybe it is just some words that you can’t hear as clearly as others? Or are you plagued with ringing in your ears, which is called tinnitus?

For me, the answer is ‘all of the above’.

I have been living with hearing loss for most of my life and I’m certainly not alone.

According to our Federal Department of Health & Aged Care;

• About 3.6 million Aussies have some level of hearing loss
• More than 1.3 million people live with a hearing condition that could have been prevented
• More than 1 in 3 Australians have noise-related ear damage

When I was the Ambassador for Better Hearing Australia, I emceed their National Conference and heard key-note speaker, former Prime Minister John Howard, share how he was diagnosed with a bad hearing deficiency in primary school when he was around nine years of age. A series of operations in the 1960s restored some of his hearing but he still had to wear hearing aids his entire life.

Former US President Bill Clinton also wears hearing aids and many high profile celebrities, including US actor Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, live with hearing loss.

Actors Rob Lowe and Halle Berry are both pretty much completely deaf in one ear and actor William Shatner of Star Trek and Boston Legal fame, has been outspoken about the negative mental effects of tinnitus. He revealed he is tormented by the constant ringing in his ears, and there were days when he felt like he could not go on because the condition was so troublesome.

I started noticing, as did those close to me, that my hearing was decreasing considerably when I was in my twenties and thirties.

When I was in my twenties and working in television, I recall my workmates would always say that I didn’t need a microphone because my voice was so loud.

It wasn’t until I trialled my first hearing aids that I realised how much I was shouting and that’s because I couldn’t hear my own voice.

There are a variety of reasons for hearing loss, in my case, it was a similar experience to losing my vision – in that it didn’t happen overnight.

I can best describe it as a ripple effect; it started with missing or mishearing a word here or there and soon my brain was racing to fill in the blanks. Having a chat with family and friends started to feel like hard work and not just for me, but for them too.

Before getting help, I remember the frustration of not being able to hear and the exasperation and exhaustion of those around me from having to repeat themselves when I couldn’t keep up with the conversation.

Mostly I remember the feeling of being a beat behind the joke, beyond the reach of whispers both trivial and special; being present, yet missing the moment. I felt isolated despite not being alone.

I couldn’t wait to find a solution to my hearing loss, but not everyone feels the same way.

I’m not sure what it is about losing your hearing, but there seems to be a stigma attached to it. Yet there doesn’t seem to be the same stigma in relation to losing our eyesight; in fact wearing glasses has become quite the fashion statement.

The Journal of Hearing Science published a review conducted to determine why some patients deny that they have hearing loss, which can lead to unmanaged hearing impairment and not wanting to receive any hearing health care.

Hearing aid users wait, on average, ten years before getting help for hearing loss. But during that time, communication with loved ones becomes more difficult, and isolation and health risks increase.

The review cites the main reasons for denial include the stigma related to hearing loss and hearing aids, lack of trust in hearing health care providers, uncertainty of the benefits of hearing aids, and lack of confidence in making the required adaptations.

Do you find you make excuses about your hearing?

Saying things like, “My hearing’s not that bad.” Or “Wearing hearing aids means I’m old, and I’m not ready for that.” Or “I don’t like the way hearing aids look.”

Dr Lin emphasises how important it is to be proactive in addressing any hearing declines over time and that it’s normal to feel worried that hearing loss means you’re aging—and to want to hide it.

Connecting with others can help your brain to stay younger and keep you involved with life, but it’s easy to sit on the sidelines and not engage in conversations for fear that your hearing problems will make you seem less than competent.

Hearing aids aren’t difficult to use, but they can take a bit of adjustment, which is why many hearing companies offer a free trial period to ensure you’ve chosen is right aids for you.

Speaking from first-hand experience, there’s no doubt that hearing loss is frustrating for those who have it and for those close to us, but not addressing your hearing loss can have a more serious outcome on your health.

Recent research reveals that hearing loss can also be linked with walking problems, falls and even dementia.

In a study conducted by Johns Hopkins Hospital and published by the Journal of Hearing Health, 639 adults were tracked for nearly 12 years. Dr Frank Lin and his colleagues found that brain scans showed hearing loss may contribute to a faster rate of atrophy in the brain.

The study revealed that mild hearing loss doubled our dementia risk. Moderate loss tripled the risk, and people with a severe hearing impairment were five times more likely to develop dementia.

Dr Lin says hearing loss can also contribute to social isolation. When you don’t hear properly, especially when you struggle to hear conversation, you may not want to be around people as much, and when you do, you may not engage in conversation as much. As a result, these factors may contribute to dementia.

My life is so much better in so many ways since I started wearing hearing aids in 2007. Not only can I hear what people are saying now, but today’s hearing aid technology has definitely enhanced my ability to enjoy other aspects of my life.

My current hearing aids connect to my TV and mobile phone via Bluetooth, which means I can answer calls by simply tapping my ear, even if my actual phone is in my handbag. I rarely miss a word now as the audio comes through both my hearing aids, so it’s like listening to everything in stereo.

It’s important to look after our hearing and we all know that loud noise can damage our hearing, which was sharply brought to my attention recently at a work Xmas party at a nightclub venue in the CBD.

The minute I arrive, the loud music was thumping and it didn’t take my Apple watch long to tell me that the decibel level of noise from the music was far too loud, and it warned me that if I stayed in that environment for longer than 10-15 minutes, I could be doing damage to my hearing.

The best way to start your hearing health journey is by getting a hearing test and you can do them free online in the comfort of your own home.

I’m an Ambassador for Connect Hearing and recommend you do two different hearing tests online.

https://www.connecthearing.com.au/online-hearing-test

One is a Speech Perception test designed by Australian Professor Peter Blamey of Blamey Saunders Hearing.

It only takes around five minutes, where you will listen to 50 spoken words and you type what you hear, but you don’t have to worry as your spelling won’t matter.

Your results will show a score out of 50 for how many words you identified correctly and there’s information on the type of words and sound frequencies you may have difficulty hearing.

The other online hearing test I suggest you do should only take you around three minutes.

It’s known as a ‘beep’ test and is a short version of the non-invasive test that audiologists use in their clinics to identify potential areas of concern with your hearing and you’ll receive the results immediately.

During the test, you’ll hear different pitch levels to help identify which sound frequencies may be of concern and if your hearing may benefit from further consultation.

If it does, then I suggest you book in for a free 15 minute test with a clinician at your local hearing centre. It’s easy, painless and can really help give you back your life.

Cheers susie