Julie Raney is a certified and licensed audiologist. She has a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s Degree in Audiology from Idaho State University. She has worked as a clinical audiologist in Colorado since 2005. She specializes in hearing amplification for adults and delivers her services in both English and Sign Language.

Understanding Hearing Loss

There are many causes of hearing loss, including biological conditions, medical issues, and family history. Hearing loss can also be the result of environmental factors: hour hearing can be damaged or lost in the very places you live in, where you work at, and over the course of things that you do for fun every single day.

Some of the causes of hearing loss include using earbuds instead of over-ear headphones and listening at a high volume. Hearing loss can also be caused by exposure to loud noises, including sudden sounds of gunfire, explosions, or sirens. They also include exposure to more sustained loud noise that can come from factory machinery and/or large equipment, as well as loud music taken in at live concerts.

Hearing loss can also be caused by unexpected buildups of ear wax, which includes ear wax that has been impacted by using things like cotton swabs that simply push ear wax together further into your ear canal. It can also be caused, however temporarily, by changes in air pressure that can be the result of going up in altitude during flight, for example, or diving deep, as happens in underwater activities. The experiences of hearing loss typically vary, but can include ringing, buzzing, cracking, or whistling in your ears, which is otherwise known as tinnitus.

Hearing loss is a gradual process, and it does not always mean that you cannot hear at all. In fact, in many cases of hearing loss you may be able to hear, but you may have difficulty following conversation with individuals and around groups of people. You may also be able to hear conversations you are having but be unable to distinguish the specific words speakers are saying. You may find yourself frequently asking people to repeat what they have just said or you may find your hearing is muffled, or that you can barely perceive sounds at all, or that your hearing is simply suddenly lost altogether.

Seeking Treatment for Hearing Loss

Our team at New Leaf Hearing Clinic is here to consult with you if you have concerns about your hearing. We can administer a hearing test, a safe and non-invasive process that will help you assess your hearing abilities and needs. While your hearing loss cannot be restored, our team at New Leaf can help you find the right tools to work with the hearing you do have. Modern hearing assistance devices can maintain and/or amplify the hearing that you do have.

Working with us at New Leaf Hearing Clinic, as well as your friends and loved ones, to find the best hearing communication scenarios possible is a great way to remain connected to your surroundings. There are many very useful ways to be sure that the hearing you do have is healthy and that your communication practices are sustainable. If you make some simple and oftentimes small shifts in your hearing habits, you will go a long way toward improving your communication styles but your physical and mental health as well.

Preventing Hearing Loss

Some ways to combat hearing loss include wearing ear plugs when working in loud spaces, and over your ears when facing sudden and temporary noises, as when vehicles such as fire trucks and police cars have their sirens on. If you are frequently venues such as sporting events and music concerts that produce loud sounds, you might also consider taking frequent breaks to give your ears a break. If you are someone who listens to a lot of music or podcasts, it will benefit you to switch from in-ear headphones to over-ear headphones and to limit your use of in-ear headphones to 60% volume and listen for a maximum of 60 minutes a day. Use a low volume on your TV and computer speakers, as well.

Knowing and addressing the signs and symptoms of hearing loss is essential to slowing the process of hearing loss down. Practicing healthy hearing habits can prevent future hearing loss, even if these habits will not restore the hearing that you have lost. The loss of hearing can have difficult effects on personal well-being, and on interpersonal communication, but taking care and being mindful of the hearing that you do have—and protecting it—may very well ward off future difficulties.

New Leaf Hearing Clinic

If you’ve experienced changes in your hearing, the first step is to take a hearing test. Contact us at New Leaf Hearing Clinic to learn more.