It may seem as if the roots of noise-induced hearing loss are functionally well-understood. After all, the name itself indicates a fairly direct cause-and-effect relationship. The universal understanding is simply that loud noises damage the hearing mechanisms in the ear, causing long-term and permanent hearing loss.
Though we’ve known this for some time now, we haven’t completely understood the underlying mechanisms behind it. That’s changing, thanks to emerging research into the role of zinc regulation after exposure to loud noises. This research suggests that there’s an important link between zinc and hearing loss.
What is zinc? And how does it impact hearing impairment?
Zinc is a common mineral. Most individuals have plenty of zinc in their bodies, carrying out distinct and necessary functions. Healthy amounts of zinc are associated with a well-functioning immune system and play a role in how well your brain translates chemical signals. In most instances, a person’s diet supplies enough zinc.
At first, it may be difficult to see the connection between hearing loss and zinc. After all, it isn’t immediately clear what role zinc plays in your hearing. A new experiment has started to expose what’s going on, however.
Researchers exposed mice to loud noises and conducted a few analyses afterward. When exposed to loud sounds, the same thing happens to mice as happens to humans: the sensitive parts of the ear become damaged. For humans, sound will initially become impermanently muffled. As an individual is regularly exposed to loud noise, this damage will become more extreme and lasting. This damage can’t be healed in either humans or mice.
After taking some blood samples from the mice, some fascinating results in terms of free-floating zinc were revealed.
Does zinc help or cause hearing loss?
Because of this research, scientists now better understand how noise-induced hearing loss symptoms happen. Usually, when zinc is in the body, it’s bound molecularly. During the experiment, researchers observed that zinc became free-floating when the ears were exposed to loud noises and sound-induced stresses. Zinc most likely reacts the same way in humans.
This zinc de-regulation winds up doing cellular damage to the inner ear, especially to the parts of the inner ear in control of clear hearing. This is the mechanism that scientists now believe leads to the type of damage that causes noise-related hearing loss.
How to treat hearing loss
As scientists gain a greater understanding of this, they may be able to formulate novel methods to prevent hearing loss in individuals who are regularly subjected to loud noise. However, it might be some time before those advancements become a viable reality. But that doesn’t mean your ears can’t be protected.
So, you may be wondering: how can I prevent noise-induced hearing loss?
Here are a few steps you can take to protect your hearing:
- Routinely check in with your hearing specialist: Discovering damage as early as possible can help reduce long-term damage, and coming in to see us for a regular hearing test is the best way to do that.
- Use ear protection: If there are loud environments you want to be in, or merely can’t avoid, ear plugs and ear muffs can help lessen the damage. If you go to that concert, for example, wear a pair of ear plugs to ensure you can still hear, but that your ears don’t become permanently damaged as a result.
- Limit your exposure to loud sounds: Sporting events, concerts, and jet engines belong to this category. But there are some more commonplace noises that can cause hearing loss that may be surprising, including things like a leaf blower, traffic, or people speaking loudly in a busy office.
Safeguard your ears by understanding causes
Can noise-related hearing loss be reversed? Unfortunately not. This form of hearing loss and tinnitus can’t be cured, though it can be managed very successfully. Strategies created to keep your hearing safe will be more successful the better you understand the mechanisms behind hearing loss.
Although this research is encouraging, we still have a ways to go. But every bit helps. Your immediate role is to get your hearing tested and use hearing protection.