Hearing Loss Archive

New research aims to capture and eventually cure incessant ringing in the ears.

More than 50 million Americans struggle with tinnitus, a constant or recurring ringing in the ears that ranges from irritating to debilitating. Some treatments work for some people, but none seems to work for everyone.

Tinnitus is a tough condition for doctors to study. "There's no way to measure it directly. The only way we know you have tinnitus is if you tell us. Even if there were a cure, we wouldn't know how it worked because we have to rely on verbal descriptions of what your tinnitus sounds like and how loud it is," says Daniel Polley, director of the Lauer Tinnitus Research Center at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

People often become more sensitive to noise as they age, which can affect their mental and physical health.

 Image: © Juanmonino/Getty Images

Are you more sensitive to noises than you used to be? Do certain sounds now feel too loud and jarring? Don't worry; it's actually quite normal.

Age-related hearing loss is common among older adults and affects about two-thirds of men in their 70s and 85% of men ages 80 and older. Although it's not clear why, this can also make people hypersensitive to sounds that they used to tolerate easily, which in turn can affect their well-being.

Ask the doctors

Q. I had a nosebleed the other night. I've heard that this can be more common in the winter. Is this true?

A. Yes, you could be more likely to get a nosebleed in the winter because the heated indoor air may dry out your nasal passages and make the tiny blood vessels inside them more fragile. Nosebleeds occur when these tiny vessels rupture. Sometimes the bleeding happens at the back of the nose, called a posterior bleed. Or it may develop at the front of the nose — an anterior bleed.

Remember to take care of your hearing, like any other aspect of your health.

When you plan your next series of maintenance health tests, don't forget your ears. An ear and hearing exam is not something that needs to be done every year, but you should be aware of changes that could signal serious problems.

"At the very least, a baseline evaluation can help, so you can monitor changes if your hearing declines," says Dr. Stephen W. Hill, an audiologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye & Ear.

Research we're watching

Is your workplace noisy? You may want to keep close tabs on your blood pressure and cholesterol. A CDC study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that high cholesterol and high blood pressure were more common among workers who toiled in noisy environments.

The study found that 25% of U.S. workers surveyed reported experiencing noise exposure at work. The noisiest industries included mining, construction, and manufacturing.

News briefs

Hearing loss is a common and serious disability that can take you out of conversations and put you at risk for depression and isolation. Two recent studies from JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery suggest that hearing loss is also connected to several other conditions. One study of national health surveys, published online Jan. 25, 2018, found that hearing loss was associated with heart failure: 75% of people ages 70 or older with heart failure also had hearing loss. The other study, published online Dec. 7, 2017, evaluated 36 studies that included more than 20,000 people who'd had hearing and cognition tests. Scientists found that age-related hearing loss was significantly associated with a decline in all areas of thinking skills and with developing dementia. These studies were observational, so they don't prove that hearing loss causes thinking problems or heart failure. But they're a reminder of the importance of having hearing loss checked out. The problem can sometimes be resolved without hearing aids if it's being caused by earwax, an ear infection, or an abnormal bone growth.

Image: © CSA-Printstock/Getty Images

Men can experience voice changes as they age, but there are ways to protect and improve your speaking tone.

It's common as you age for your voice to change, a condition called presbylaryngis, or aging of the larynx. The result is often that annoying raspy, hoarse tone commonly known as "old age" voice.

"Over many years, we talk, yell, and sing a lot. Eventually, this causes the vocal folds to become weak or damaged, and your voice loses its range and quality," says Barbara Wilson Arboleda, a speech and language pathologist with a specialty in voice at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear. "This can make daily communication an issue, as it requires greater effort to speak and be understood, which may cause many older men to become more withdrawn and isolated."