Experiencing hearing loss after being exposed to noise can be a scary experience. Many people are afraid that it may never go away. However, while temporary hearing loss due to excessive noise rarely becomes permanent, it does pose an important question – will this affect your hearing going forward?
In this article, we will be exploring hearing loss as a defense mechanism against noise.
Hearing Loss as a Defense Mechanism Research
According to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hearing loss after exposing yourself to a lot of noise is not uncommon. So, if you find that your hearing is week for hours or weeks after a concert or similar loud event, you shouldn’t be concerned. This happens because our body tries to protect itself from loud noise.
So, how does this happen? According to this study, cells in our cochlea (a part of our inner ear) release a compound called ATP. This can reduce our hearing sensitivity as noise levels keep rising.
Prolonged Exposure Is Still Dangerous
Although our ears have this important mechanism that protects us from excessive noise, it seems to only work in small doses. In other words, prolonged exposure to high-frequency noise can still result in hearing problems later on.
Scientists hope that these new findings could help us find new ways to protect our ears from excessive noise. This can be very important, as many people are exposed to a lot of noise in their line of work – construction workers, factory workers, and musicians to name a few.
The Bottom Line
Although our ears use temporary hearing loss as a defense mechanism, this solution only works in short bursts. Do your best to stay away from excessive noise and protect your ears using ear plugs or similar devices.
