After a long, quiet Maine winter, spring is a welcome and vibrant change. For many, this season change signals the blossoming of nature, the opportunity to make plans with friends and loved ones and the renewed energy to get outside to play sports or pursue an outdoor hobby. That said, those in the early stages of hearing loss may struggle to connect with the sounds of the season.
Hearing Loss Explained
In the inner ear, an organ known as the cochlea collects sound waves and transmits sound information to the brain for processing. It accomplishes this with thousands of tiny hair-like sensory cells, each specialized in a specific pitch. When these fragile cells are destroyed, they do not regenerate, and they can no longer transmit sounds to the brain, meaning you will not perceive the pitch or pitches that the now-destroyed cells collected.
There are many things that can damage or kill off these sensory cells. The most common is aging. During this natural process, the cells in our bodies deteriorate slowly over time, and the cochlear sensory cells are no exception. Loud noise is also a common cause. Sound waves from loud noises are big and powerful and can damage the hair-like cells like a gale-force wind flattening a tree.
The Sounds of Spring
With the above in mind, let’s look at some of the sounds of spring and why you might be struggling to hear them.
Missing the Birdsong
In both age-related and noise-induced hearing loss, the first sensory cells to die off are usually those responsible for detecting high-pitched sounds. These are located at the front of the cochlea and are therefore the first to come into contact with sound waves. This means that, in general, the first sounds we lose are high-pitched ones, like birdsong.
The average frequency of birdsong is around 3500 to 4000 Hertz (HZ), approximately the same pitch as the highest note of a piano. Some birds can reach 8,000 Hz and higher. With Maine’s humid continental climate and long shoreline, we have a plethora of songbirds in our midst. If the trees seem quieter to you this spring, it could be an early sign of hearing loss.
Socializing Becomes Harder
Many people find their social calendars filling up again once the sun comes back out. Increased daylight and warmer weather encourage social gatherings, picnics, parties and outdoor activities. This might open you up to one of the more recognizable signs of hearing loss: difficulty hearing people speak and following conversations. This might manifest as:
- Asking people to repeat themselves
- Mishearing words
- Feeling overwhelmed when multiple voices are speaking
- Pretending to understand what you don’t hear
- Hearing the words being spoken, but not understanding their meaning right away
The tricky thing about this sign is that it’s easy to mistake your hearing difficulty for something else. You may justify the missing sound information by blaming background noise or everyone else for mumbling. You may not immediately register these signs for what they are: signs of hearing loss.
You’re Clumsier Than Usual
Your ability to hear is a critical piece of your situational awareness—that is, the strength of your perception of where you are in space and what is around you. Untreated hearing loss could lead you to miss critical situational hazards, such as an errant frisbee or a passing cyclist. If you feel less alert and like you’re constantly running into things or getting run into, it could be a sign of hearing loss.
Additionally, the cochlea in the inner ear is situated right next to a series of organs that make up the vestibular system, which is critical to our sense of balance. Because these organs are right next to each other, they are intimately connected, and often issues with one affect the other. Hearing loss is associated with poor balance and increased fall risk, so if you’ve been feeling unsteady on your feet lately, consider that it might indicate hearing loss.
How Hearing Aids Can Help
Hearing aids are incredible tools that can help reconnect you to the sounds of spring this year. They gather sound waves through a microphone, process them digitally and amplify them into your ear. During that digital processing, they can identify the pitches you might struggle to hear (such as the high-pitched sounds of birdsong) and amplify them more than the other pitches, making up for the missing sensory hair cells. They can also isolate the sounds of human speech, making it easier to hear.
If you’ve noticed these early signs of hearing loss this spring and need to discuss potentially starting hearing loss treatment with an audiologist, contact Gary D. Schwartzberg, Au.D., Doctor of Audiology today. We’ll schedule a hearing test and discuss the next steps on your hearing journey.