Everyone knows that staying up late has many dangers,
such as fatigue, endocrine system disorders,
memory loss, increased risk of heart disease, etc.
In addition to the above,
there are actually people who
suddenly become deaf because of staying up late and working overtime!
What's going on?
According to reports, 38-year-old Mr. Liu is a sales executive who often stays up late and works overtime on weekdays.
One day not long ago, Mr. Liu suddenly felt tinnitus in his left ear while working overtime, and he just felt a "buzzing" sound. He thought he was too tired and would be fine after just one day of rest. However, by the next day, the hearing in his left ear had not recovered. Mr. Liu rushed to the otolaryngology department of the hospital and was diagnosed with "sudden deafness."
Hearing impairment is not just a "patent" for the elderly
Many people have the impression that hearing loss or even deafness is a disease only suffered by the elderly.
not necessarily!
Some researchers have observed old people in the primitive jungle. Their hearing is still very good when they are nearly eighty years old. This is because they have rarely been exposed to noise pollution in their lives.
How delicate is human hearing?
The number of sound-sensing hair cells on the cochlea is determined when a person is born. Damage will result in one less hair cell, and it is irreversible.
In addition to presbycusis, clinically, sudden deafness is also becoming more and more common among young adults. Especially for elites in their early 40s, long-term stress, poor sleep, mental tension, and overwork are common triggers. Mr. Liu in the case is such an example. Among young people, noise-induced hearing loss caused by long-term loud listening to headphones is also increasingly common.
Sudden deafness mainly refers to sensorineural hearing loss that occurs suddenly within a short period of time. It is related to factors such as emotional agitation, fatigue, viral infection (cold), cold weather, etc. Basic diseases of the elderly such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and diabetes will also increase the risk of the disease.
The pathogenesis of sudden deafness is not yet clear, and is mostly related to inner ear microcirculation disorders. Sudden deafness often occurs on one side, it may be total deafness, it may be partial frequency hearing loss, or even just a little tinnitus or ear tightness.
How to detect sudden deafness?
80% have experienced tinnitus
Generally speaking, tinnitus is the most important early sign of sudden deafness. 80% of patients with sudden deafness have experienced tinnitus before, and some also experience ear fullness and dizziness at the same time. , nausea, vomiting and other uncomfortable symptoms.
Special reminder is that sudden deafness may not only be an ear problem, but may also be a precursor to a cerebrovascular accident, or a relatively mild type of cerebrovascular accident. "The Lancet" magazine once published that "the probability of sudden deafness and cerebrovascular accident is 6 times higher than that of ordinary people."
According to another statistics, among patients with coronary heart disease who have tinnitus, about 86.7% of patients have tinnitus symptoms before angina pectoris, and 8.6% of patients have angina pectoris and tinnitus at the same time.
How can sudden deafness be detected early?
Different tinnitus sounds are actually different signals!
When there is a problem with the inner ear, the sound is often motor sound;
When there is a problem with the nervous system, tinnitus is usually a screaming sound;
When there is a problem with the central system, the tinnitus sound is usually cranial ringing.
If these three types of tinnitus occur,
you must go to the otolaryngology department of the hospital for detailed examination immediately!
Within a week is the best time to treat sudden deafness. If you suddenly feel tinnitus or ear tightness, you should go to an ear, nose and throat specialist for treatment. Most cases of sudden deafness will result in permanent hearing loss if not treated.
Suspect hearing abnormality
Professional pure tone audiometry can be done
Hearing decline is generally "quiet" and difficult to detect. If hearing loss is suspected or discovered, especially sudden deafness, timely medical treatment is very important. It is recommended to go to a professional hearing aid A center or hospital otolaryngology department performs professional pure tone audiometry.
Doctors usually perform hearing tests with the help of a pure-tone audiometer.Hearing loss can be divided into five levels according to the degree of pure tone hearing loss. The specific classification is as follows:
Pure tone hearing loss does not exceed 25 decibels, which means normal hearing and there is no difficulty in daily listening;
Pure tone hearing loss between 26 and 40 decibels is mild. Hearing loss, which is characterized by difficulty listening to long distances or listening to low-pitched speech at a normal distance;
Pure-tone hearing loss is moderate hearing loss between 41 and 60 decibels, and it is difficult to hear low-pitched speech at close range;
Pure-tone hearing loss A hearing loss between 61 and 80 decibels is considered severe hearing loss, and high-pitched sounds can be heard in the ears;
pure tone hearing loss exceeding (including) 81 decibels is considered extremely severe hearing loss, which is characterized by the complete inability to hear sounds.
Most patients with pure-tone hearing loss less than 80 decibels can use hearing aids to hear sounds, but for extremely severe hearing loss, cochlear implant surgery can often only be used to restore hearing.
How to prevent noise damage?
Adhere to the "Three 6" principles
To prevent hearing damage, you must first stay away from noise sources. If you are exposed to various noises such as roaring machines, noisy workshops, and loud voices for a long time, the micro blood vessels in the inner ear will often be in a state of spasm, the blood supply to the inner ear will be reduced, and the hearing will decrease sharply.
Therefore, try to avoid or reduce noise interference, and do not often come into contact with particularly noisy environments. If you must stay in a particularly noisy environment, try to wear earplugs to isolate the noise. In addition, we must adhere to the three 6 principles:
Do not stay in a noisy environment for more than 60 minutes;
The environment should be quiet when using headphones, and you should try to avoid listening to things with headphones when taking the subway or bus to avoid involuntarily turning up the volume. To cover the noise, it is recommended that the volume when listening to headphones should not exceed 60% of the overall volume, and should not exceed half an hour at a time. Try to use over-ear headphones or noise-cancelling headphones;
When communicating with others, the volume should not be too loud, and should not exceed 60 decibels. , when making cell phone calls, try to use hands-free to answer calls if conditions permit.
Does it matter whether the deafness of the elderly is cured or not?
It is not uncommon for older people to experience hearing loss or even significant deafness. Many people believe that this is a normal manifestation of physical aging reflected in hearing and is irreversible, so it doesn't matter whether it is treated or not.
It is worth noting that hearing loss and deafness in the elderly may have multiple causes, which are not only related to factors such as external environmental noise and environmental pollution, but also to human blood viscosity, vascular disease, degradation of the auditory system itself, and genetic factors. etc. related.
People may experience hearing loss after the age of 45. This process of hearing loss is generally silent and gradual. It may not affect communication with others in a short period of time, so it is difficult to cause vigilance. If the hearing impairment is severe and there is an obvious communication barrier, it is recommended to wear a hearing aid. Otherwise, once they lose their hearing, the communication ability of the elderly will be greatly reduced, and the quality of life will be significantly reduced.
