Nobody wants to deal with hearing troubles. They can make you miss critical moments of your life that slip through conversations that you can’t make out. Especially as you get older, hearing problems are increasingly common in people around the world. They can be annoying, disheartening, frustrating, and saddening as you struggle to make sense of what others around you are saying.
Did you know there are different types of hearing loss? In this article, we’re going to break down the most common types of hearing loss, as well as similar conditions like hyperacusis, tinnitus, and more.
Most Common Forms of Hearing Loss
According to the CDC, there are four main types of hearing loss:
- Conductive hearing loss – Easily treated with medicine or surgery (in most cases), this form of hearing loss happens when something is blocking or stopping sound from traveling through the outer or middle ear.
- Sensorineural hearing loss – This type of hearing loss occurs when there’s an issue with the hearing nerve or functions of the inner ear.
- Mixed hearing loss – This condition describes when both conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss are happening at the same time.
- Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder – In this condition, though the sound is getting into the ear, the brain can’t decipher it properly because of some damage to the inner ear or hearing nerve.
All of these conditions can vary in terms of extremity from mild to profound levels of hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common form, and is largely connected to age, exposure to loud noise, injury, disease, inherited from family, or caused by certain drugs. Though this type isn’t necessarily curable through medicine or surgery, many find relief using hearing aids, which can extend their hearing abilities by many years.
What Are Common Conditions Associated with Hearing Loss?
1. Hyperacusis
In short, hyperacusis is a disorder in loudness perception, according to the University of California at San Francisco. Those that suffer from hyperacusis may find common sounds overbearingly loud or may be sensitive to sounds that others aren’t.
This is a rare condition, occurring in just one out of every 50,000 people. This condition is common for those working in loud environments, exposed to extremely loud noises for extended periods which can damage their cochleae, such as concerts, sporting events, gunfire, fireworks, and other causes. This can cause anxiety, pain, discomfort, and more unwanted effects.
There are two main types of hyperacusis: cochlear and vestibular. Cochlear is the most common and causes ear pain, frustration, and the inability to tolerate certain sounds. Vestibular, on the other hand, causes feelings of nausea, dizziness, and physical imbalance in the presence of certain sounds. People generally are not born with either form of hyperacusis. Common causes include:
- Exposure to loud noise
- Head injury
- Lyme disease
- Bell’s palsy
- Tay-Sachs disease
- Williams syndrome
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Viral infections that affect the inner ear or facial nerve
- And several others
Treatment options include sound therapy, ear protection, counseling, and more.
2. Tinnitus
Tinnitus is an ear condition where patients may experience the perception of outside noise in their ears. This generally sounds like ringing, buzzing, hissing, humming, or other pesky sounds that others generally don’t hear. Tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying health problem, compared to a specific condition on its own. But it’s very common and affects millions of people.
The most common causes of tinnitus include exposure to loud noises over a repeated period of time, head or neck injuries, age-related hearing loss, and other causes. There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are treatment options and therapies that can help you deal with the symptoms. These generally include a multidisciplinary approach, using sound therapy, counseling, technology-based treatments, and more. It’s all an effort to minimize your discomfort.
Others may find relief in taking all-natural dietary supplements that aim to tackle a certain condition, such as Tinnitus 911, which claims to provide relief to common tinnitus symptoms using only organic ingredients.
3. Recruitment
Not to be confused with hyperacusis, recruitment is another condition where sound is exaggerated in one’s perception of sounds located in the frequency of their hearing loss. Recruitment only makes some noises appear proportionately too loud, whereas hyperacusis makes most all sounds appear that way.
In short, your hair cells and cochlea are damaged, so they “recruit” other hair cells to help them hear sounds they can’t hear on their own. Because these spare hair cells are working overtime, they’re catching onto sounds they are originally supposed to hear, as well as straining to help other hair cells. This causes certain sounds to appear much louder than they really are.
Hearing aids are known to help with recruitment, as they can compress sounds to fit a certain range, stabilizing the sounds your ear is deciphering.
Conclusion – What Is Hyperacusis?
Hyperacusis is a common condition associated with hearing loss where patients experience noises that are louder in their eyes than they are in the outside world. Common, everyday sounds become overbearing and can cause pain, anxiety, frustration, insomnia, and other issues.
While it is a pretty rare condition, it affects millions of people around the world. Generally, this is caused by some damage to the ear as a result of exposure to loud noise, an injury or disease, or other conditions including PTSD, and several others.
Hearing loss causes several unpleasant, and potentially life-altering symptoms. One of the four main types of hearing loss can lead to a number of conditions and symptoms, including recruitment, tinnitus, hyperacusis, osteoporosis, and more. While a lot of these conditions are not curable, they are highly treatable, and many have found relief from modern hearing aids and sound therapy.
Don’t hesitate to seek treatment for any of these conditions if you notice increasing and consistent hearing troubles. It can extend your hearing for several years, keeping you available for important family moments and conversations you don’t want to miss. You don’t have to live with hearing loss alone.
