Hearing Loss Archive

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

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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.

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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."

In the journals

Older adults who develop hearing loss are more likely to experience greater cognitive decline and develop dementia than their counterparts without hearing problems, according to a meta-analysis published online Dec. 7, 2017, by JAMA Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. Researchers examined data from 36 studies including more than 20,000 people who underwent both cognitive evaluations and hearing tests. Those with age-related hearing loss were more likely to have cognitive impairment or a diagnosis of dementia.

The study found a small but statistically meaningful association between hearing loss and a variety of specific cognitive abilities, including executive function, memory, processing speed, and visuospatial ability (how you recognize shapes and sizes and estimate the distance between two objects). The association between hearing loss and weaker cognitive skills was still strong even after accounting for risk factors like high blood pressure and smoking.