Hearing loss is a common problem in old age that can be treated with the right advice and products. Older people are often told to turn up the volume on their TV or radio, but this actually makes things worse in many cases.
Fortunately, there is a way to improve your own hearing and get back some of the sounds you used to hear when you were young.
In this blog post, we will explore how to improve hearing power in old age by reviewing the latest products, treatments, and advice to help you cope with this problem.
The aging process
As we age, our hearing typically gets worse. This is due to a combination of factors including loss of hair cells in the inner ear, less blood flow available to the ears, thinner bones in the middle ear, receding gums which can cause earwax to accumulate, and narrowing of the ear canal.
The first sign that you may have hearing loss is difficulty understanding speech when there’s background noise around you. After this comes difficulty hearing women’s and children’s voices.
Finally, if your family complains regularly about how loud the TV or radio is for you, then it may be time to take action.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to see an ear specialist (audiologist) who can diagnose your condition and recommend appropriate treatments.
Treatments vary depending on the cause of the problem but could include hearing aids, surgery, lifestyle changes (for example quitting smoking), dietary/vitamin supplements, or medication.
How to improve hearing power in old age
There are a number of ways that you can improve your own hearing and reduce the volume of other people’s voices.
Many people think that the solution is merely to turn up the sound on their TV or radio, but this can make things worse in many cases. Fortunately, there are products available which you can use to improve your hearing naturally.
Hearing aids
Hearing aids are available in two main types:
1. Behind the ear (BTE) hearing aid – this sits behind your ear and is held in place with a custom-made earmold.
2. In the canal (ITC) hearing aid – this rests inside the outer ear and has an earmold that fits snugly inside your ear.
Hearing aids are generally the first treatment option for people who have hearing loss. They can improve your hearing by amplifying sounds up to 40 or 50 decibels, which is equivalent to turning the volume on a TV from 1 to 5.
There are many different types available, so it is ideal to see an audiologist who can assess your specific type of hearing loss and recommend the best option for you.
Hearing aids work best when they are programmed with a sound equalizer, which tunes each instrument or voice to the right frequency so that you hear everything clearly and in its right place.
However, hearing aids are often expensive and do not always solve the problem of hearing loss. There are also some common complaints about them, including feedback in the ear when there’s sound around you, discomfort when wearing them for long periods of time, poor battery life, and difficulty keeping them in your ears.
They are therefore generally only suitable for people who have mild to moderate hearing loss, and for those with severe to profound hearing loss they may not be suitable at all.
Cochlear implants
This is a device that is surgically placed under your skin behind your ear and has two parts: an external piece of equipment and an internal receiver/stimulator. This works by directly stimulating the auditory nerve, which transmits sound to the brain.
Cochlear implants are available on the NHS for people who have severe-profound hearing loss and do not benefit from hearing aids. The implant is currently only suitable for adults and may need to be upgraded as your child grows. There is also a small risk of damage to the facial nerve (which controls facial muscles) and damage to the auditory nerve (which transmits sound), so it is important to consult an experienced audiologist about this treatment.
Medication/vitamin supplements
Some medications can help improve your hearing but they need to be taken regularly and should always be discussed with your GP or pharmacist before taking them, as they can have side effects.
There are also a number of vitamin supplements that claim to improve your hearing, but there is no scientific evidence to support their use and some may interact with other medications you take. It is therefore recommended that you avoid these unless they are prescribed by your GP or audiologist.
Chemical imbalance in the body causes hearing loss in many cases, so it may help to try to improve any underlying problems by making lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol.
Note: Putting drops into the ear canal is not advisable for hearing loss, as this can make your problem worse or cause an infection. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary to correct hearing loss.
In the meantime, there are some products available which you can use to improve your hearing naturally.
Ear candles
These have been used in alternative medicine for hundreds of years and consist of a hollow cone made from organic material with a cotton wick in the base. It is believed that by lighting one end the ear canal fills with warm air and steam, which supposedly helps to remove wax, toxins, and other debris from the ear. It is important to note that there is no scientific evidence behind this claim. In fact, because of the high temperature reached during a candle burn can actually cause damage to your eardrum and skin lining of the ear canal. In addition, it is not advisable to put anything into your ear which does not have a long solid handle as you may push wax further down your ear canal, creating a blockage and preventing wax from being naturally removed by your body’s self-cleaning system.
There are also a number of products available to remove ear wax, but be warned; these can make your problem worse if used incorrectly. Wax naturally falls out of the ear on its own, so you should never put anything into the ear to “help” it fall out. If you are unsure about how to treat yourself at home, see an audiologist or GP for treatment instead.
Ear defenders
If you work in a noisy environment such as a factory, airport, construction site, or music venue, ear defenders can help protect your hearing. They should be used whenever you are exposed to high levels of noise and should be worn properly (i.e., not while lying down) to ensure they fit snuggly over the ears and reduce any noise pollution reaching the ear.
Most ear defenders are available to buy online and in specialist shops and generally come in two styles: earplugs and muffs.
Earplugs fit directly into the ear canal and block out sound by creating a seal between your skin and the side of your head. They can be made from foam, silicone, or wax and are popular because they are generally cheap to buy.
Earmuffs sit around the outside of your ear and create a seal by resting against your head to block out noise. Earmuffs are usually made from plastic or metal with soft cushions which sit over the ears. They tend to be more expensive than earplugs but are more effective as they have a larger surface area, meaning they can block out lower frequencies of noise.
Headbands and bands with a headpiece over the ears clip onto earmuffs to keep them in place during wear. These are particularly useful if you wear glasses or sunglasses as they mean you won’t need to take your glasses off to wear ear defenders.
Avoid buying online if you are unsure about which style to choose, as your audiologist will be able to advise you on the correct type for your needs.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
This is a type of counseling that can help you to change the way you think about your hearing loss so that it no longer has such a negative impact on your life. This treatment is still relatively new and there is not yet enough scientific evidence to recommend its use for people with hearing loss, but research is ongoing and it may become more widely available on the NHS in the future.
A Cochrane review looked at various treatments for people with tinnitus, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), sound therapies, acupuncture, manipulation/massage, autogenic training, hypnosis, and relaxation techniques.
It found that CBT had short-term benefits in reducing the severity of tinnitus, but that there were no benefits when treatments were stopped.
The review also found that there was insufficient evidence to recommend sound therapies or acupuncture for treating people with tinnitus.
A study published in the British Medical Journal looked at whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and counseling could help people with tinnitus.
The results were promising, as the therapy was found to reduce tinnitus severity and disability, but there was no mention of whether CBT could actually stop the noises that are associated with this condition.
Conclusion
There is currently no cure for hearing loss and deafness, but there are a number of treatments that can help you to live with the condition and minimize its impact on your daily life. If you have been diagnosed with hearing loss or tinnitus, make sure you know who to contact when you need further advice.
In addition, it may be worth investigating whether the treatment you choose is covered by your insurance policy.
If you don’t want to risk having a hearing problem, we recommend that you always turn the volume of your device down before putting it in your pocket and never place it next to your ear when making or receiving a call. Furthermore, we advise using wired headsets when listening to music, watching videos, or playing games on your smartphone in order to avoid unnecessary exposure to high volumes.
Finally, it’s worth bearing in mind that many hearing problems can be prevented, so make sure you get your hearing tested every two years (or annually if you experience any symptoms), even if you don’t think there’s anything wrong with your hearing.
Cochlear implants are electronic devices that can help people with severe or profound hearing loss to hear. A multichannel implant consists of an internal device (the implant) and an external part (the speech processor).
Batteries in the speech processor power the device, which sends sound signals through the skin to the internal part.