Hearing loss
How loud is too loud?
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As you grow older, it's common to lose some of your hearing. An estimated one-third of Americans older than age 60 have some degree of hearing loss.
Most hearing loss results from damage to the snail-shaped structure in the inner ear called the cochlea. Tiny hairs in the cochlea may be injured or destroyed. These hairs help translate sound vibrations into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain. Nerve cells may also degenerate, preventing electrical signals from being transmitted efficiently. One result is that higher pitched tones become muffled, and it becomes more difficult to distinguish what's being said from background noise.
Put a lid on noise
The most common causes of hearing loss are aging, loud noises, heredity, certain illnesses and certain medications, including some antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs, and high doses of aspirin. Some of these factors you can't control, but others you can, especially your exposure to noise.
