Hearing is the second most important sense, after sight. Many people lose it without realizing it, until it is too late.
Unfortunately, we don’t pay our ears the attention they deserve. And now, with the rise of in-ear headphones, we’re hurting them more than ever.
The Hearing loss for abusing our ears, for example, listening to very loud musicit is happening little by little, and that is why we do not realize it, until it has already advanced enough.
It is a mistake to believe that hearing loss is something for older people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of young people between the ages of 13 and 35 are in the process of suffering from hearing lossdue to the use of headphones at too high a volume.
The WHO recommends turn down the headphone volume, use headband models instead of in-ears, and opt for external speakers, if possible.
Is it true that we can go deaf without realizing it? The Healthy website has compiled five silent signs that we are losing hearing. Let’s see them.
You hear beeps or buzzes
The ringing and buzzing in the ear it is a sign that the nerves of the auditory system are being damaged.
If we perceive them right after listening to music, it is a clear symptom that it was too loud. And you have to be careful because hearing loss can be permanent, within minutes: “lPermanent hearing loss can occur within eight to fifteen minutes of listening to music at maximum volume levelexplains otolaryngologist Sreekant Cherukuri in The Healthy.
He recommends using noise-cancelling headphones, because by eliminating background noise you don’t have to play the music as loud.
You stumble or lose your balance
The ear is used to hear, but it is also the organ that maintains our balance when we are standing or walking.
If we lose hearing, the brain pays more attention to trying to listen to our surroundings, and less to balance, so we could suffer some spontaneous stumbling or rocking.
Also, if the inner ear has a problem, both functions (hearing and balance) can be affected.
You repeat more than necessary, the tagline, “What?”
End the sentences with a “What?”, or a “How?” is very habitual. Some people use it as a resource to give themselves time to think about a question, or what they are going to say.
But if you see yourself asking someone to repeat a phrase to you too often, is that perhaps you hear less than you should…
you forget things
What is the relationship between hearing and memory? Many memories are associated with sounds, voices or noisesand if we hear less, they remember less.
Dr. Sreekant Cherukuri also explains that if the brain spends more effort listening, it takes it away from other processes, such as memory.
Loud noises cause you pain
Another symptom of hearing loss is very loud noises cause you real pain, similar to a headache. If you hear less, the ear has less capacity to attenuate loud noises, and that is why they cause pain.
If you have any of these symptoms, the sensible thing to do is consult with your doctor. Many hearing problems can be curbed in a simple way, simply by not forcing our ears with music or noise at a very high volume.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism