Today is World Hearing Day! Did you know?

Today is World Hearing Day! What are you doing to prevent hearing challenges? Did you know these astounding facts?:

According to the World Health Organization:
• It is estimated that by 2050 over 700 million people – or 1 in every 10 people – will have disabling hearing loss.
• Over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices.

• Among those older than 60 years, over 25% are affected by disabling hearing loss.

Did you also know:

The biggest preventable cause of hearing loss is noise. Exposure to sound over 85 Db, even short-term in some cases, can cause hearing loss. According to the CDC:

• About 40 million US adults aged 20-69 years have noise-induced hearing loss.
• More than 1 in 2 US adults with hearing damage from noise do not have noisy jobs.
• About 1 in 4 US adults who report excellent to good hearing already have hearing damage.

According to posts cited in Mayo Clinic Connect, Drugs, (both Rx and OTC), can cause hearing loss, tinnitus, and/or balance issues. Here are some drug families to check the side effects for:
• Loop diuretics
• NSAIDS
• Aspirin and aspirin products
• Antibiotics
• Anti-Depressants
• Heart medications
• Cancer medications
• Even some vitamins and supplements

And sometimes anesthesia can create such problems – sometimes reversible, but only if treated quickly.

If you choose to ignore these facts, you may wake up one morning unable to hear (in one or both ears), or be disturbed by strange sounds caused by tinnitus. (Tinnitus has several causes, some of which are related to the jaw, foods, weather, and stress, in addition to being a brain response to hearing loss). I know because I have experienced and have coached and journaled on all of these. So, by paying attention to noise and medicine factors, you can PREVENT Tomorrow’s Hearing Loss Today!