Many people think of hearing loss as congenital, don't they?
Actually, you could have hearing loss too!
Often when playing elderly characters.
What?" Excuse me?"
You are deaf and hear things back, aren't you?
It is easy to understand if you remember the character of Ken Shimura. This is also hearing loss.
Hearing loss can double or triple the risk of developing dementia.
So if you prevent hearing loss, that alone will help prevent dementia.
Let's take a look at how to prevent such hearing loss.
You will not be able to hear sounds at unused heights
In fact, you've had progressive hearing loss since childhood and even now!
You will be surprised when I tell you.
Newborn babies can hear sound as high as 16Hz~30000Hz.
Hz (hertz) is the pitch of sound, with lower values representing lower tones and higher values representing higher tones.
Have you ever heard the "mosquito sound"?
It is the one that children hear and adults do not.
This mosquito sound has a very high frequency.
This alone shows that our hearing is deteriorating just from childhood to adulthood.
Why does this happen?
This is because it is not necessary to hear such high frequencies when speaking Japanese.
The ability to hear high frequencies in Japanese is not necessary to speak Japanese.
In fact, the frequency of Japanese is said to be 125-1500 Hz.
If you speak Japanese as your native language, you can communicate if you can hear the frequencies between 125 and 1500 Hz.
However, since the world is full of various sounds, we also hear non-Japanese sounds.
Therefore, it is not the case that they can only hear 125-1500 Hz sounds at once.
However, if you don't hear them often enough, you will lose the ability to hear them if you don't need them.
Incidentally, the frequency of English is much wider, about 2000~12000 Hz.
The frequency band is totally different from that of Japanese, so if you do not listen to it on a regular basis, you will not be able to hear English at all.
This is probably one of the reasons why children who hear English and other languages learn quickly.
Hearing loss usually begins with higher pitches, unless there is a sudden hearing loss.
(In the case of sudden hearing loss, low frequency sounds may become inaudible.)
However, when you are speaking Japanese normally, it is hardly noticeable and does not get caught on the test.
This is because the frequency of Japanese is low.
If this is the case, it is difficult to notice that high frequency sounds are becoming inaudible.
Measures to delay hearing loss
What can I do to avoid hearing loss?
- If you don't use it, it will diminish.
- Loud sounds can be damaging.
- This is important.
Let's look at each of these.
Listen to sounds at various heights
Unfortunately, it is not easy to regain these abilities once they have diminished.
For example, if you have injured your leg and have not moved it for a while, it will take a lot of rehabilitation to get it back to its former athletic ability.
When you see athletes rehabilitating after an injury on TV programs, it looks like a lot of work.
Hearing also deteriorates if it is not rehabilitated or used.
Therefore, try to listen to high frequency sounds as much as possible.
Of course, you can use English materials or ordinary music.
However, it is not true that you can speak English just by listening to music, as advertised by some materials.
Please do not misunderstand me in this regard.
Listen at a volume that does not strain your ears
What is important is the volume at which you hear the sound.
The volume should be less than 85 dB, and should not be too loud for your ears.
Incidentally, the volume level is determined by the manufacturer and varies from one manufacturer to another, so there is no way to know how loud is how much dB.
Nowadays, you can get a free sound level meter from an app, so you need to get a sense of how much sound is lower than 85dB, and adjust the earphones so that it does not exceed that level when you use them.
For example, I often went to live concerts because I like music, and live concerts are very loud.
The bass sounds that resonate in your body and the loudness of the sound are also good, but they are not good for your ears at all.
Therefore, it is necessary to use earplugs at live concerts to protect your ears.
Don't listen to music for long periods of time
These days, we can enjoy music anytime and anywhere with smartphones and music players.
As a result, we spend more time listening to music.
People who listen to music for a long time with canal-type or sealed overhead headphones should be especially careful.
I can't speak for others either, but when you use canal-type or sealed overhead headphones, your ear canals get blocked and humidity rises.
This may cause the inside of the ear to become moldy.
Mold can cause otitis externa, for example.
If you listen to music for long periods of time, you should take measures to keep your ears unobstructed, such as listening through speakers.
Ear care is also necessary to delay hearing loss
There are several ways to care for your ears.
Ear cleaning
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of ear care is probably ear cleaning.
Cleaning the ears feels good, doesn't it?
However, if done incorrectly, it can increase the risk of hearing loss.
In particular, care must be taken when using cotton swabs.
It is said that ear cleaning is not necessary.
Ear massage
Massage is recommended for ear care.
Massage improves blood circulation and increases metabolism.
The increased metabolism will help maintain ear health.
Conclusion
Hearing loss has become all too familiar, hasn't it?
It is important to remember that we all may have hearing loss and to understand what we can do to prevent it.
Parents often warn about vision.
You have probably been told to watch TV from a distance or to lighten the room.
However, not many parents pay much attention to hearing.
Difficulty in hearing is more inconvenient than you think.
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