The underlying foundation of noise-related hearing loss might seem well-understood. A fairly obvious cause-and-effect relationship is suggested by the name, after all. Our fundamental understanding is that permanent hearing damage is caused by exposure to overly loud noise over a long period of time.
Though we’ve recognized this for some time now, we haven’t completely understood the inherent mechanisms behind it. That’s improving, thanks to emerging research into the role of zinc management after exposure to loud noises. Hearing loss and zinc management have a significant connection according to this research.
How is hearing impairment affected by zinc?
Zinc is a common mineral. Most people have plenty of zinc in their bodies, carrying out specific and necessary functions. Healthy levels of zinc are connected with a well-functioning immune system and play a part in how well your brain translates chemical signals. In most instances, a person’s diet supplies plenty of zinc.
The connection between zinc and hearing loss may, at first glance, be difficult to recognize. After all, it’s not instantly obvious what role zinc plays in your hearing. However, a novel experiment has shed some light on what’s going on.
Researchers exposed mice to loud noises and carried out a few analyses afterward. When exposed to loud noises, 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 chronic noise exposure continues. In both mice and humans, the body is not capable of healing or repairing this damage.
After taking some blood samples from the mice, some fascinating results in terms of free-floating zinc were revealed.
Is hearing loss caused or helped by zinc?
Scientists now have a greater understanding of how the symptoms of noise-related hearing loss occur because of these results. Usually, when zinc is in the body, it’s bound molecularly. Researchers discovered zinc in free-floating form after the experiment’s mice were exposed to loud noise. Zinc most likely reacts the same way in humans.
The free-floating zinc triggers damage to delicate portions of the inner ear that are crucial in order to hear clearly. Scientists are now thinking that this is one of the mechanisms that produces hearing damage related to noise exposure.
Managing hearing loss
Over time, this type of understanding could help scientists stop noise-induced hearing loss from ever occurring, even in those people who are often exposed to loud noises. However, it may be some time before those advancements become a viable reality. But there are still other ways to protect your ears.
So, how can you protect yourself from noise-induced hearing loss?
Here are several measures you can take to safeguard your hearing:
- Use hearing protection: If there are loud environments you want to be in, or merely can’t stay away from, ear plugs and ear muffs can help lessen the damage. A set of earplugs can, for example, allow you to attend that loud concert and still be able to hear the music but also offer some protection against irreversible hearing loss.
- Regularly check in with your hearing specialist: Discovering damage as early as possible can help minimize long-term damage, and coming in to see us for a regular hearing test is the best way to do that.
- Regulate your exposure to loud noises: Sporting events, concerts, and jet engines belong to this category. But many individuals would also be surprised to learn that everyday noises like chatty offices, traffic, or leaf blowers can also cause hearing damage.
Safeguard your ears by understanding causes
Can noise-related hearing loss be reversed? Regrettably not. This kind of hearing loss and tinnitus cannot be cured, though it can be managed very effectively. Strategies created to keep your hearing safe will be more effective 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 ear protection.