Hunting, Loud Noise, and Hearing Loss

 

Hello again to all my lovely readers out there! I want you to take a quick 5 minutes from my sleep and work to introduce you to John, my first guest-blogger, who will be sharing a little something about the importance of your hearing. Don’t forget to check out his blog and show some love!  In the meantime, you can keep up with me as I write my articles on Lipstiq.com or follow me on Tumblr!

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Hi my name is John O’Connor, I am a father, outdoorsman and passionate about living a healthy lifestyle.  Over the past few years I have become more and more interested in hearing loss.  My father and grandfathers, who are and were all hunters, are affected by hearing loss.  I feel that there is a general lack of understanding around the issue and it is our job to spread awareness where we can.  Check out my new blog at bloggingwjohno.blogspot.com!

 

Hunting, Loud Noise, and Hearing Loss

When you are out hunting, the last thing that you may be thinking about is protecting your ears. But just like you make sure you’re wearing appropriate clothing and bringing the right gear, you should take precautions to protect your hearing as well.

Our ears work basically by capturing sound waves and transferring the signal to the brain. The outer ear, which is the part we can see, brings sound waves into the ear canal. Sounds vibrate the eardrum, a tiny thin tissue that separates the canal from the inner ear. The eardrum in turn vibrates three tiny bones (or ossicles), which magnify sounds and carry them into the inner ear. The cochlea, a spiral shaped fluid filled chamber, has tiny hair cells inside that turn the sound vibrations into neurologic signals that the brain can understand.

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when something happens to damage the hair cells or the nerves in the inner ear. This type of hearing loss can lead to deafness, and is often permanent. There are several causes for nerve damage in the ear, but a major reason is acoustic trauma, which is damage caused by loud noise.

Acoustic trauma can be caused by sounds such as from your hunting rifle, or constant listening to loud music or machinery at work. Loud noises can kill off the nerve endings in the inner ear.  The more that die, the worse hearing becomes. And once they’re dead, they’re gone – the nerve endings don’t grow back. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, sounds louder than 80 or 85 decibels (about as loud as traffic on a busy street or a subway) can damage the nerve cells in the ear if it’s constant. They list the sound of a shotgun at about 170 decibels.

Ringing in the ears is one sign that the nerve cell endings are damaged, but you may notice a gradual worsening in your hearing over time. It may become harder and harder to understand what people are saying, or your family may complain that you are not hearing them. If you notice a change in your hearing, talk to your doctor or health care professional about getting a formal hearing test.

If you have hearing loss, a hearing aid may help. Your doctor may refer you to an otolaryngologist or an audiologist to make sure if, and what type of hearing aid is right for you. However, preventing new or further damage to your ears every time you hunt or are otherwise exposed to loud noise is as or even more important. One form of ear protection is snugly fitting earplugs. The other is the earmuff type that fit over the ear, making a seal to keep sound out. These are available in pharmacies, hardware stores, and your hunting supply shop.