It's not that you don't listen to her - you just may not hear her. Scientists have found that men are twice more likely than women to suffer hearing loss. According to Ronald Burgess, consultant audiologist at Oticon Singapore, your hearing begins to gradually decline once you enter your teens. "Hearing degenerates gradually as we age - a result of normal wear-and-tear - but this occurs over one's lifetime. The trick is not to accelerate this process prematurely," he says.
Stop that noise
By the age of 30, 10 per cent of adults have mild-to-moderate levels of high frequency hearing loss, says Burgess. "The most common danger to your hearing is noise." Noise is either comprised of sounds that are too loud, or loud sounds that last a long time. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) in the US, when we are exposed to these noises, sensitive structures in our inner ear can be damaged, causing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). These noises exist in our environment: from household appliances, construction sites and traffic.
Drop the volume
Before you decide to blast your MP3 player again, listen up: Over time, plugging in to loud music can also cause hearing loss. "Generally, the louder the sound, the less time you should be exposed to it," Burgess says. "Sometimes, you may instinctively turn up the volume of your player to drown out environmental noise, and therein lies the danger." The distance from the source of the sound is also equally important. Remember - your earphones are mere centimetres from your eardrums.
Plug it up
Similarly, nightclubs, raves and rock concerts can be hazardous to your hearing, a British Royal National Institute for Deaf People survey found. Sounds of less than 75 decibels (db) are unlikely to cause hearing loss, according to the NIDCD. A normal conversation is about 60db. A noisy nightclub can reach up to 110db, which is the equivalent of a plane taking off. If you don't want to miss a second of Nine Inch Nails, just use a discreet pair of earplugs to reduce the stress on your eardrums.
Watch your head
Head injuries can affect your middle or inner ear systems, causing hearing loss. "Impact trauma affecting the middle ear system can be medically corrected either by repairing the ear-drum or the middle ear bones surgically," Burgess says, "Trauma affecting the inner ear system can result in a fracture of the cochlear - the auditory portion of the inner ear - which is usually permanent." Watch out for falling objects.
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Mirza Malik is the Associate Editor of Men's Health magazine by SPH Magazines.
Check out more stories at Men's Health online, www.menshealth.com.sg.
