- For most people, hearing loss issues develop because something happens later in life. They get older or their ears are damaged because of accidents, infection, or exposure to loud noise.
- But for some, it’s a matter of being born with issues. This falls under the rubric of genetic hearing disorders.
- Genes are the basic building block of cell growth. They are the instruction manual. And unfortunately, problems can arise. These are known as mutations. These can then be passed down to successive generations as familial traits. Other factors, such as radiation exposure, can also introduce mutations.
- Genetic hearing issues have been broken down into several broad categories.
- When both parents have genetic traits and they are passed onto their child it is known as autosomal recessive hearing loss. Even if both parents have normal hearing, the dormant genetic predisposition can be active in their children.
- If only one parent — or a new mutation — is the reason for hearing issues it’s known as autosomal dominant hearing loss.
- X-linked hearing loss — when the X-chromosome mutates — is a far more common issue in men than women. Men only have one X-chromosome, while women have two (which makes the mutation less severe for women).
- Genetic issues with the mitochondria don’t directly affect the ear but can do so indirectly. Mitochondria are the part of cells that generate energy and problems with them can negatively impact the workings of the inner ear.
- Given the vast number of instructions in the human genome — it contains 3 billion base pairs of DNA — it’s a wonder things don’t go wrong more often. Only a few genetic wrong turns can introduce hearing loss.
Hearing Conservation
Hearing loss can be an inevitability for some people. Only so much can be done about accidental exposure to extremely loud noise or a genetic predisposition for hearing loss. But for most people, hearing loss is not a sure thing and there are a number of activities that can actually help maintain hearing health.
The most obvious is exercise. The biological fact is that the inner ear and brain are very dependent on the healthy flow of oxygen-rich blood. The neurotransmitters in the brain that process sound can atrophy over time when blood flow is degraded. Likewise, the inner ear — especially the crucial cochlea — is a finely tuned part of the body that requires a base level of overall cardiovascular health. In long-term studies spanning decades, as little as two hours of exercise a week has been found to lower the risk of hearing loss.
This can include obvious exercising like walking, jogging, and swimming — but activities like yoga and meditation have also been found to have positive outcomes on hearing health. Yoga not only improves blood circulation, but research has shown that people suffering from tinnitus have used yoga as an effective means of reducing its severity. Stress is also a known risk factor for hearing loss, so meditation practices that lessen anxiety levels can help with some hearing issues.
Even just mindfully exercising your hearing in everyday situations can help. When standing in line or basically in any “just waiting” situation, concentrate on the particulars of the soundscape you’re stuck in. Focus on a specific sound, then move onto another distinct sound — rinse and repeat. This kind of listening calisthenics actually exercises the parts of your brain that process sound and can heighten the ability to follow conversations in noisy locations later on.