Either gradually losing one of your senses or permanently suffering from hearing loss is a tragedy. You can no longer hear the sound of your children or grandchildren’s laughter. You can’t listen to a Beethoven symphony or a Verdi opera. You can’t even participate in a conversation. It’s a terrible fate to losing your hearing.

Not all hearing impairments are the same – some are more serious than others. Moreover, just because you feel like your hearing is going away, or it isn’t as sharp as it used to be, it doesn’t need to be a permanent development. There are plenty of treatments to take advantage of.

Most importantly, you should never feel alone. Millions of people all over the world endure the same situation. But it isn’t the end of the world, and it isn’t the end of living life. You can get through this.

Here are five types of hearing impairment problems and characteristics:

1. Mixed Hearing Loss

Mixed hearing loss is a type of hearing impairment that occurs when both conductive hearing loss (see below) and sensorineural hearing loss (see below) are present at the same time. When you’re diagnosed with mixed hearing loss, it suggests that there is damage in the middle, outer, and inner ear, or there could be issues with a nerve pathway to the brain.

You could experience this problem if you work around a lot of loud noises, or you have fluid in your middle ear, like an ear infection. Should these two issues converge, then it could be a lot worse.

2. Conductive Hearing Impairment

A build-up of fluid, too much earwax, ear infections, or abnormal bone growth in the middle ear. These problems could lead to conductive hearing loss. Surprisingly, this impairment is more common in children and indigenous populations.

To correct this type of hearing impairment, surgery and hearing technologies may be required for treatment.

3. Auditory Processing Disorders

One of the more frustrating types of hearing impairments is an auditory processing disorder, or APD. This can be simply described as the link between the ears and the brain; when the brain cannot process the information found inside the sound, like free speech and sounds, then you cannot function in everyday life.

While this type of hearing impairment is more common in children, adults can suffer from it too, even with normal hearing and normal intelligence.

Unsure if your child or an adult you know has APD? Here are some signs to look for:

• Distract by noise.
• Misunderstood what is said.
• Short attention span for listening and reading.
• A history of multiple ear infections.
• Difficulty hearing noise and following verbal instructions.

4. Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss takes place when the hearing organ (cochlea) and auditory nerve are damaged, unable to send the electrical information to the brain. It is typically permanent and can be caused by a diverse array of things:

• Diseases
• Accidents
• Age
• Genetics
• Loud noises

Hearing implants will inevitably be utilised to limit the negative effects.

5. Auditory Neuropathy

Auditory neuropathy transpires when the nerve transmitting the signal from the cochlea to the brain experiences a setback. This could be caused by a paucity of oxygen, neurological conditions, or jaundice at birth. Everyone’s experience is different, ranging from regular fluctuation to difficulty to benign.

Medical experts will always recommend assistive technologies that reduce the impact of this condition.

Will the medical community ever cure hearing loss? Time will tell.

Until then, there are things that you can do to ensure your hearing is in great shape, such as turning down the volume of your earphones, limiting your exposure to loud sounds, and partaking in a regular hearing test as you get older.

Hearing Impairment Facts & Statistics

Unfortunately, men, women, and children are victims of hearing loss. It is estimated that 20 percent of people over the age of 12 will report some degree of hearing loss in their lifetime. This figure will only grow as the years go by.

Do you want to know the statistics? Here are some figures to take a gander at, according to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD):

• Adult men are twice as likely to have hearing loss than women.
• Two of every 1,000 children are born with a detectable hearing loss.
• Fifteen percent of school-age children have some type of hearing loss.
• Hearing loss can cause a household to lose an average of $12,000 per year.
• Those 60 to 69 years of age have the greatest amount of hearing loss.

No matter how benign your hearing loss may be, it can lead to a series of health consequences, ranging from depression to hypertension to diabetes. Studies have also discovered that a hearing impairment may be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease, especially if it goes untreated.

Decades ago, if you suffered from hearing loss, you would need to wield a large instrument, attach it to your ear, and point it in the direction the noise is coming from. Even as early as a couple of years ago, many patients needed to sport a fairly large apparatus in their ear. Today, tools to limit the effects of hearing impairment are smaller, more convenient, and affordable.