First, I would like to address the main complaint people have with hearing loss. Due to the lockdown, many people are working from home with headphones, and hearing loss has recently increased a lot. Let us first discuss types of hearing loss.
So there are different types of hearing loss:
- It can be sudden hearing lossÂ
- It can be progressive loss hearing lossÂ
- Or it can be fluctuating hearing loss
Note: If you do not have any hearing problems, then please use Earphones or Headphones in moderation
Fluctuating hearing loss
Fluctuating hearing loss is like hearing loss for a few days, a day, or few hours and later after a few weeks or a month, it repeats again. You can have any type of hearing loss but the first rule is not to treat hearing loss at home. So when you start feeling the symptoms, immediately go to the nearest hospital and clinic so that the doctor can examine you.Â
Progressive loss hearing loss
Symptoms of progressive hearing loss are that patients either begin to hear some sound in the ear, mostly during the night or maybe sitting in a sitting position and may not be able to hear at all. When 2-3 people are speaking at a time, they have difficulty understanding words. They hear words but have difficulty understanding words.
When they are going to a place where there is a lot of noise such as at some concerts, in some traffic areas, they are not able to interact with the person concerned. These are the early symptoms of hearing loss. People around you may tell you that you are hearing less these days, so don’t think they are just talking, it could be a reality. So you should take it as a serious concern.
Even if you do not have hearing problems, see a doctor if you have symptoms or someone close to you says that you are hearing less these days.
Sudden hearing loss
Sudden hearing loss is like when you wake up in the morning and you suddenly can’t hear properly. This is an alarm, go to the doctor, it could be a neurological problem too.
If by chance you have had fluctuating hearing loss for the past few months and you haven’t seen a doctor, it’s time to visit your doctor. Because there can be some reasons for fluctuating hearing loss, there is a chance that it can later lead to permanent hearing loss.
Headphones or Earphones?
Now we will continue with the topic of hearing loss as patients ask doctors what type of headphones should they use? There are two things: one is the in-ear headphones (earphones), the other is the headphones. So if you compare both of them then headphones are better than earphones.
The reason behind this is that when we are using headphones, it can cut or reduce the surrounding noise. Due to which patients expose themselves to fewer decibels(dB) while listening from the headphones.Â
But when they are using the earphones, they cannot cancel out the surrounding sound. So they increase in volume and they expose themselves to very loud noises for long periods of time.
And second, the headphones do not disturb the normal operation of the inside of the ear canal. Hence they help in maintaining the general health of the ear but the use of earphones leads to blockage in the ear which leads to the effect of wax inside the ear. So headphones are definitely much better than earphones. If you are choosing a good quality headphone then choose a headphone with noise-canceling properties.
How many Decibels?
Do patients ask what kinds of sounds they should not be exposed to? Any sound above 85 dB is unhealthy for any length of time. Secondly, if you are hearing a low frequency of sound, then your ear has to do more work to hear that particular sound. Again anything less than 25 or 20 dB is not healthy for your ear.
So between 25 and 75 dB is the healthiest decibel (dB) of sounds you should be hearing. One more question, how to check decibels? Well, mobile and computer gadgets have the property (like apps or software) to measure decibels (dB).
Otherwise, if you are surrounded by machines that make loud noises, some work is going on like construction work which creates a lot of noise, then you should definitely try to avoid it by covering your ears.
Even some concerts produce loud noises, so of course, you have to avoid all of these sounds. In this way, if we can take care of all these things and can maintain the auditory property that is a normal function of the ear.
In the end, I just want to say that it is your life and your health. You must know how to take care of your health. In the end, you have to decide which instruction to follow. But keep in mind that health is wealth.
