Introduction

The human inner ear contains around 15,000 special hearing ‘hair’ cells, which enable us to hear a vast range of sounds from the low buzzing of a bee, to the high pitch laughter of a young child. Each of these cells is precious because, if damaged, it can never be replaced.

Along with age-related wear and tear - which means our hearing starts to deteriorate when we are in our twenties – ‘hair’ cells are susceptible to damage from loud noise, disease and certain medicines. Our genes also influence our susceptibility to age related hearing loss and damage from noise exposure.

We are not able to influence how our genes affect our hearing, nor can we protect against all illnesses that cause permanent hearing loss or avoid drugs used to treat life threatening illness. While we cannot also altogether avoid the affects of age on our hearing, we can protect our hearing from exposure to noise.

Loud noise poses a serious risk to our ‘hair cells’. In today’s technological world, there is increasing exposure to loud sound levels in everyday life whether through the use of Mp3 players at cinemas or music concerts or even doing DIY around the home. This increasing exposure means that people are now experiencing hearing loss at a younger age.

It is crucial to protect your hearing against new or further damage, it is therefore important to understand how noise damages hearing and to know the steps you can take to do so. Once you do, why not help by sharing them with your family and friends.