The underlying basis of noise-related hearing loss may seem well-understood. After all, the name itself indicates a fairly straightforward cause-and-effect relationship. Our basic understanding is that irreversible hearing damage is a result of exposure to overly loud sound over a long period of time.
Though we’ve known this for some time now, we haven’t completely understood the inherent mechanisms behind it. That’s changing, thanks to new research into the role of zinc regulation after exposure to loud noises. This research reveals that there’s an important connection between zinc and hearing loss.
What is zinc? And how does it affect hearing impairment?
Zinc is a mineral required for carrying out necessary bodily functions and most people have an abundance of it. Zinc helps your brain translate chemical signals and is linked to immune system functions. With a few exceptions, most people get enough zinc from their food every day.
The link between zinc and hearing loss might, at first sight, be difficult to recognize. The relationship between zinc and hearing isn’t, after all, instantly apparent. A new experiment has begun to reveal what’s going on, however.
Researchers engaged in some analysis on mice that were exposed to loud sound. When exposed to loud sounds, the same thing happens to mice as happens to humans: the delicate parts of the ear become damaged. In humans, this might first be experienced as a temporary muffling of sound. This will become more acute and more permanent as persistent noise exposure continues. This damage can’t be healed in either humans or mice.
After taking some blood samples from the mice, some intriguing results in terms of free-floating zinc were revealed.
Is hearing loss caused or helped by zinc?
Because of this result, scientists now better understand how noise-related hearing loss symptoms happen. Normally, when zinc is in the body, it’s bound molecularly. Researchers discovered zinc in free-floating form after the experiment’s mice were subjected to loud noise. Zinc most likely responds the same way in humans.
The free-floating zinc triggers damage to sensitive parts of the inner ear that are crucial in order to hear clearly. This is the mechanism that scientists now think leads to the type of damage that causes noise-induced hearing loss.
How to treat hearing loss
In the future, this kind of understanding might help scientists stop noise-induced hearing loss from ever happening, even in those people who are frequently subjected to loud noises. Regrettably, these developments are likely still some ways off. But that doesn’t mean your ears can’t be protected.
So, you may be asking: how can I prevent noise-induced hearing loss?
Here are a few steps you can take to safeguard your hearing:
- Regulate your exposure to loud sounds: This clearly includes noises such as jet engines, concerts, or sporting events. But most people would also be surprised to learn that everyday sounds like chatty offices, traffic, or leaf blowers can also result in hearing damage.
- Routinely check in with your hearing specialist: Detecting damage as early as possible can help reduce long-term damage, and coming in to see us for a routine hearing test is the best way to do that.
- Use ear protection: Ear muffs and ear plugs can help your ears manage noisy environments that you can’t, or don’t want to stay away from. A set of earplugs can, for instance, allow you to attend that loud concert and still be able to hear the music but also provide some protection against irreversible hearing loss.
Understand the causes, protect your ears
Can you cure noise-related hearing loss? Regrettably not. This kind of hearing loss and tinnitus cannot be cured, though it can be managed quite effectively. Strategies created to keep your hearing safe will be more effective the better you understand the mechanisms behind hearing loss.
This research is most likely just the first step in a longer process. But we seem to be getting closer to understanding. On a personal level, it’s essential to take steps to safeguard your hearing and check in with your hearing specialist.