Why You Shouldn't Suffer in Silence
Anne Madison's loneliness began with her microwave...
Specifically, she realized she couldn't hear the beep of the device... Her hearing was on the decline.
Discouraged, Anne started abandoning her hobbies – like going to church and attending rallies. And her neighbors started thinking she was unfriendly for ignoring them when, in truth, she just couldn't hear them talk to her. And so Anne would isolate herself, holed up in front of the TV with the volume hiked up.
Finally, after decades of suffering, she decided to get help...
Anne got a pair of hearing aids. And in doing so, she got rid of her loneliness. She could enjoy her favorite hobbies and chat with family and friends again.
If you – or someone you love – has experienced a decline in hearing, this is the sort of story you're familiar with. But what you might not know is that hearing loss doesn't just isolate people... it increases their risk of falling.
Two groups of organs play an enormous role in our ability to balance. Collectively, they're called the vestibular system. And the components are located deep inside the inner parts of our ears, behind the eardrums.
So when our hearing ability starts declining – a common occurrence as we age – it tends to throw off our balance, too.
In fact, a 2012 study from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that every 10 decibels of hearing loss was associated with a 1.4 times increased risk of falling. In other words, developing mild hearing loss – about a 25-decibel drop – is linked to triple the risk of falls in adults between ages 40 and 69.
And as we get older, falls become more dangerous... killing 684,000 people each year.
Even if you survive, injuries can leave you immobile. That, in turn, can have terrible physical and psychological effects like blood clots, muscle loss, cognitive decline, and depression. What's more, an October JAMA Neurology study of more than 7 million U.S. veterans found that having hearing loss was associated with a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
But if your hearing has changed, you can save yourself from a potentially deadly fall by doing just one thing: wearing hearing aids... consistently.
A 2023 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that consistently wearing hearing aids reduced a person's odds of falling by 50%.
And big news for AirPods owners... A few months ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved these wireless earbuds for use as over-the-counter ("OTC") hearing aids. Two caveats, though... It's only recommended for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. And you need to have a current model – AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4 – along with the correct software.
Now, as a preventive measure to hearing loss, take these steps to protect your ears from damage and to identify and address problems early on...
1. Use headphones carefully. The National Health Service of the U.K. recommends staying below 60% of the maximum volume on headphones. In fact, a good solution if you need to tune out surrounding noise is to get some noise-canceling headphones. I love how they let me listen at lower volumes even when background noise is high. And be sure to not use headphones for a long period – take a five-minute break every hour.
2. Use earplugs. Noise-canceling headphones are great for routine noise. Sometimes, though, you need something heavy-duty. Anytime you're around extremely loud equipment or environments, be sure to wear ear protection. That includes things like using a chainsaw, mowing the lawn, or going to a concert.
Do what I do and always carry earplugs. I put them in while flying on really loud planes or driving my tractors at my vineyards. I also use a monitor and alert on my smartwatch and phone that tell me when I'm in a loud area for too long.
Foam earplugs are cheap and work well to block out sound. Silicone earplugs are a bit pricier. They also come in a moldable putty form for placing at the opening of the ear, which don't block out sound as well as foam ones. But they might be better suited for folks who don't like the feeling of plugs in their ear canals or for folks who tend to get a lot of earwax.
3. Watch out for impacted earwax. Like the mucus in our nostrils and airways, earwax has a protective function, grabbing dust and foreign particles so they don't go any deeper. (Here's a fun fact: There's a gene for wet earwax and a gene for dry earwax.) But when the earwax builds up and dries, you get impacted earwax which spells hearing troubles.
Don't reach for the cotton swabs for deep-ear spelunking, though... They can make the blockage worse. (Just use swabs for outer-ear cleaning.) And believe it or not, you don't need swabs either to prevent buildup. That's because daily jaw movements like chewing or talking help clear earwax out of your ears.
If you want to clean your ears (and as long as you haven't had ear surgery or don't have a damaged eardrum or ear infection), you can buy OTC ear drops or wax-removal kits. Or you can use a damp cloth and/or a few drops of warm mineral oil to soften the wax. Then the next time you take a shower, a little trickle of the warm water plus some head tilting can get the rest out. Never shove anything in your ear, including cotton swabs. At best, they'll just push the wax further into your ear canal. At worst, they can puncture your eardrum. If you can't break up the wax safely, see your primary care provider or an ear, nose, and throat specialist called an otolaryngologist.
4. Get your hearing tested. If you've never had a hearing test, it's a good idea to get a baseline test done and recheck as needed. Be sure to ask about insurance coverage, as some plans will offer coverage for an evaluation. However, few insurance plans will cover much for hearing aids. And keep in mind that hearing evaluations held at stores that sell hearing aids often will try to push you to purchase one.
For a more affordable and impartial option, try a phone test to see if you need to go in for a full test. The National Hearing Test is a simple, 10-minute screening test you can take in the privacy of your own home. You register online, pay $8, and receive a code to use. Then you get on the phone (ideally a landline), call the number, and punch in your code. The key is to follow up with a doctor within a year if you show signs of any impairment.
And for even more of my tips on healthy aging, check out Retirement Millionaire. Give my flagship newsletter a 30-day test drive right here.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: Your earwax and sweat have something in common.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
December 3, 2024