Better Hearing Blog
Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome
The alliterative term “selective sound sensitivity syndrome” (or “misophonia”) is used to describe a condition whereby a person experiences an intense emotional reaction to a specific sound. It may be a constant tapping of a foot on the floor or a pencil against a desk surface that causes a misophonic individual to fly into a rage. The word “misophonic” literally means “hatred of sound.” This disorder is not caused by hearing impairment and is not the same as “hypercusis” (oversensitivity to the volume of sounds), but it is certainly worth noting. The sensitivity to certain sounds elicits extremely negative and immediate emotional and physiological responses that can significantly alter sufferers’ lives and their interactions with others.
Think the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard is unpleasant? This is a mild example of what people with misophonia experience when exposed to a trigger sound. In some cases, a person with misophonia can become socially isolated and pull back from family and friends in an attempt to reduce the associated physical symptoms that they experience when triggered. For more information, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We’re excited to assist you in making decisions about your hearing health at New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. One possible treatment for misophonia is tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), which teaches misophonic individuals to improve their ability to tolerate certain noises.
Anemia Tied to Hearing Loss
Because hearing loss is so prevalent among older individuals, researchers have sought to find factors that will help identify those at increased risk. This research has recently yielded the finding that “sudden sensorineural hearing loss” (SSHL), during which hearing is severely reduced over a three-
day period, is linked with “iron deficiency anemia” (IDA). This common condition is caused by a lack of iron in the body, which leads to fewer red
blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. As a result, IDA reduces the amount of oxygen available to tissues. While the exact mechanism by which anemia leads to hearing loss is unknown, IDA is easy to treat. This correlation may prompt new ways to diagnose and treat SSHL.
Hearing loss has many causes such as disease or infection, ototoxic drugs, exposure to noise, tumors, trauma, and the aging process. This loss may or may not be accompanied by tinnitus, ringing in the ears. While most causes of hearing loss are well-understood, researchers are still studying all the possible causes, methods for prevention and treatment options. To schedule a hearing assessment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. Considered a medical emergency, “sudden sensorineural hearing loss” (SSHL), also known as “sudden deafness,” usually occurs in one ear, either immediately or over several days.
Detecting Teen Hearing Loss
With so many youngsters exposing themselves to loud noise that can rob them of their hearing ability, it is important to develop new tests to detect adolescent hearing loss. If hearing loss is uncovered when it is mild, youngsters can be alerted to ways of modifying their behaviors that help to preserve their remaining hearing. With this in mind, researchers are currently suggesting that youngsters have their hearing checked in higher frequencies than are likely to be tested for at school or other non-professional settings. Normally, teens are able to hear in very high-frequency ranges that escape their elders’ notice. It is important that teens’ hearing be tested in accordance with their extended hearing capability.
Loss of hearing is gradual, and usually begins with the high frequencies. If your hearing loss becomes serious enough, you may risk impairing your ability to speak clearly. While listening to something too loudly and for extended periods of time is bad for your health, headphones better isolate the background noise, thus enabling you to listen at a lower volume. To schedule a hearing assessment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. Some teens have used their higher-frequency hearing ability to their advantage by downloading ring tones on their cell phones that their teachers cannot hear.
Swimmer’s Ear
While the outer ear infection commonly known as “swimmer’s ear” is usually associated with young children and the summer months, it can occur at any age, at any time of the year. Moreover, swimming is only one possible cause. This outer ear infection occurs in the ear canal between the outer surface of the ear and the eardrum. Symptoms include itching, redness, swelling, pain, a feeling of fullness in the ear, and muffled hearing. The infection is most often caused by bacteria that invade the skin in the ear canal. Ordinarily, the ear canal is protected by earwax (cerumen) that forms a protective barrier, which inhibits bacterial growth. However, improper cleaning with a cotton swab can damage the skin.
To diagnose swimmer’s ear, your otolaryngologist will look for redness and swelling in your ear canal. Your doctor also may take a sample of any abnormal fluid or discharge in your ear. Your otolaryngologist has specialized equipment and the expertise to effectively clean the ear canal and treat swimmer’s ear. With proper treatment, most infections should clear up in 7-10 days. For more information, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. To avoid an outer ear infection, it is necessary for those wearing in-the-canal hearing instruments to clean their devices regularly and to carefully insert and remove them from their ears.
Unilateral Hearing Loss
Unilateral hearing loss makes it difficult to sense distance and sound direction. Known as the “head shadowing effect,” listeners with good hearing in only one ear must tilt their heads toward the sound source in order to compensate for the shadowing effect. Hearing instrument specialists can address this problem with a CROS (Contralateral Routing of Signals) system, which involves sending speech and sounds picked up via microphone on the non-hearing side to the better ear that is outfitted with a receiver. This setup enables sounds from the non-hearing side to be sent to the hearing ear by virtue of a radio signal. As a result, the good ear helps make up for the loss in the bad ear.
BETTER HEARING CENTER offers a full range of diagnostic and hearing-loss prevention services, hearing instruments and assistive devices. We continue the tradition of better hearing through education, technology, and customer service. To schedule an appointment, please call our hearing center. We are the only hearing center that has served the Concord, New Hampshire, area for more than 55 years. New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. A BiCROS instrument is just like a CROS one except that the device on the good side is actually a fully capable hearing aid for hearing sounds from the good side. It is also capable of receiving the sound transmitted from the CROS aid on the other side.
Ease into Hearing Aid Use.
While many hearing specialists recommend that people with newly prescribed hearing instruments wear them all day when they are first fitted with the devices, not everyone can do so comfortably. Some individuals find that their sudden ability to hear sounds that they have not heard in some time is a bit overwhelming. Due to the abrupt reintroduction of ambient sounds such as traffic noise, air-conditioner hum, and background conversation, some people feel inclined to remove their hearing instruments. However, hearing instrument wear need not be an all-or-nothing proposition. According to a study of seniors who reported being unsatisfied with their hearing instruments, a gradual increase in hearing instrument use over 30 days produced greater satisfaction among half of the study participants.
It is fine to only wear your new devices in comfortable situations and environments for the first few days. Hearing professionals recommend that you eventually try to wear your hearing aids during your waking hours. The more sounds you are able to recognize and filter out as well as identify as bothersome can help your hearing professional make adjustments in your follow-up visits. For more information, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We’re excited to assist you in making decisions about your hearing health at New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. If you are getting used to wearing a hearing instrument for the first time, try wearing it for increasingly longer periods of time at home, where you can have more control over what you hear.
