Many of us have a standard image of the person who suffers from hearing loss. This person is getting up in age and has accumulated damage to hearing over the years, adding up to difficulty hearing in loud contexts or in conversation with someone who has a soft voice. And yet, seniors are not the only people to experience hearing loss. In addition to those who are born with a range of hearing impairment, damage to hearing can occur throughout the lifespan. Some people experience hearing damage from exposure a single noisy event, such as an accident or explosion. Others are subjected to noise that contributes damage quickly over time, such as those who work in loud environments or are constantly exposed to very loud music. Millennials are among the groups who may experience hearing loss, and their experiences are different from other generations in a number of ways.

How Many Millennials

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control found in early 2017 that roughly 8 million people aged 20 to 29 suffer from some kind of hearing loss, or roughly 10 percent of the entire millennial generation. This may come as a surprise to many of us, wondering how such damage could happen. The causes of damage are quite different from other generations. Older generations were more likely to have been exposed to noise in the workplace, such as factories, mills, or construction sites. The younger generation of Millennials is less likely to have a noisy job. Instead hearing risks within the home are the culprit for many of these young people.

Causes of Millennial Hearing Loss

Along with technological advances come new risks, as well. Though the causes of Millennial hearing loss are not entirely known, many have speculated that they have to do with new technology and prolonged exposure. Young people have loved to listen to loud music for many generations, yet home and personal technology has never been as widely available as it is today. Though listening to very loud music at home seems like a safe place to immerse yourself in music, it can leave lasting damage on Millennial ears. Similarly, amplification technology in live music venues and dance clubs has advanced so that sound is louder than ever. Young people who love live music, as well as those who like DJs, are exposed to much louder sounds than their music-loving counterparts in past generations. Watching video documentation of the Beatles at Shea Stadium in New York City is evidence that sound amplification couldn’t do much only 50 years ago. The crowd easily drowned out the sound of the band through its cheers, and the band only used amplifiers and a basic vocal public address system for their music. Today, the same stadium can blast powerful sound into every ear in the arena. Not only is loud sound in space one of the causes of Millennial hearing loss, but loud sound being pumped directly into the ears is an even greater risk. Earbuds have been the cause of irreversible damage among many in the Millennial generation. Some users are unaware of how loud their earbuds can be, and the most extreme wearers even raise the levels of sound within their devices to max out earbuds beyond their intended capacity. Add to the mix some loud home devices, such as leaf blowers, snow blowers, and lawn mowers, and new technology can be incredibly damaging to hearing within the home and personal space.

Assistive Technology

Although some of the new technology available to Millennials has done greater damage that other generations have encountered, new technology is also able to assist in exciting ways. For example, Doppler Labs has recently released Hear One, the first all-in-one wireless listening system that redefines how we engage with sound through technology. This device can monitor external noise in new ways, incorporating sound from music, video, and spoken audio coming from devices a more appropriate fit with the surrounding environment. Though past generations have not been exposed to loud sound and noise in the same ways, Millennials are also developing new technology to protect their hearing far into the future, as well as assistive technology in hearing aids that can pick up where damaged ears leave off.

Visit Us at Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services

Concerned about your hearing loss? At Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services, we provide hearing health services for people of all ages. Contact our team today to schedule a consultation and hearing test.