Health: What You Can Do to Slow Hearing Loss as You Age, According to Experts

Health recently interviewed Yu-Tung Wong, MD, a neurotologist at Cedars-Sinai, about how people can lower their risk of hearing loss as they age and why early intervention matters.

While some hearing loss is a natural part of aging, as delicate hair cells in the inner ear that detect sound gradually die, certain factors—including genetics—are outside a person’s control.

“If your mother or father, or aunts, or uncles, or grandparents had hearing loss, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if you had hearing loss, too,” Wong told Health.

Exposure to excessive noise is the main preventable risk factor for hearing loss. Loud environments and high-volume headphones can damage the inner ear cells responsible for hearing, especially when used above 60% volume for more than an hour, Wong told Health.

He added that over time, “the ear becomes more delicate, more fragile, and more susceptible to having some of those changes that maybe would not have happened as much if you did not have that exposure.”

Lifestyle habits matter, too. Wong told Health that hearing depends on healthy blood flow to the inner ear. Habits such as smoking or not exercising can increase the risk of high blood pressure, which can damage blood vessels.

“All the things that keep your heart healthy are the same things that would keep your ear healthy,” he said.

Wong told Health that adults should have a hearing test in early adulthood and repeat it periodically, with more frequent testing beginning in their 40s. He emphasized the importance of early intervention and hearing aids when recommended.

He said that while hearing aids do not reverse or slow damage to the inner ear, they can help protect and improve the brain’s ability to process sound.

Read the complete article from Health.