The underlying foundation of noise-related hearing loss might seem well-understood. A fairly obvious cause-and-effect relationship is indicated by the name, after all. The universal understanding is simply that loud sounds damage the hearing mechanisms in the ear, causing long-term and permanent hearing loss.
And while that’s relevant, the mechanisms underpinning that cause have not always been so well established. That’s improving, thanks to emerging research into the role of zinc regulation after exposure to loud sounds. Hearing loss and zinc management have an important link according to this research.
How is hearing impairment impacted by zinc?
Zinc is a mineral needed for carrying out necessary bodily functions and the majority of individuals have an abundance of it. Zinc helps your brain interpret chemical signals and is connected to immune system functions. In most instances, a person’s diet provides plenty of zinc.
The connection between zinc and hearing loss may, at first sight, be difficult to recognize. After all, it isn’t instantly clear what role zinc plays in your hearing. A new experiment has begun to reveal what’s going on, however.
Researchers did some analysis on mice that were exposed to loud noise. In mice, as with humans, the sensitive mechanisms of the ear become damaged when exposed to loud noise. In humans, this may first be experienced as a temporary muffling of sound. This will become more acute and more permanent as chronic noise exposure continues. This damage can’t be cured in either humans or mice.
Researchers also took blood samples from the mice and noticed some interesting results in terms of free-floating zinc.
Is hearing loss caused or helped by zinc?
Because of this result, scientists now better understand how noise-related hearing loss symptoms occur. Typically, zinc in the body is molecularly bound. During the experiment, researchers noticed that zinc became free-floating when the ears were subjected to loud noises and sound-induced stresses. It’s likely the same thing happens in humans.
The free-floating zinc triggers damage to delicate parts of the inner ear that are essential in order to hear clearly. This is the mechanism that scientists now think leads to the kind of damage that causes noise-related hearing loss.
Managing hearing loss
Over time, this kind of understanding may help scientists stop noise-induced hearing loss from ever happening, even in those individuals who are frequently exposed to loud noises. However, it might be some time before those developments become a viable reality. But there are still other ways to protect your ears.
So, how can you safeguard yourself from noise-related hearing loss?
There are a number of approaches you can employ to protect your ears:
- Routinely check in with your hearing specialist: Getting a hearing screening (and routinely checking in with us) can help detect damage early.
- Wear ear protection: Ear muffs and ear plugs can help your ears manage loud settings that you can’t, or don’t want to stay away from. If you attend that concert, for instance, use a pair of ear plugs to ensure you can still hear, but that your ears don’t become irreversibly damaged as a consequence.
- Regulate your exposure to loud sounds: Sporting events, concerts, and jet engines come under this category. But there are some more commonplace noises that can cause hearing loss that might be surprising, and that includes things like a leaf blower, traffic, or people talking loudly in a busy office.
Safeguard your ears by understanding causes
Can noise-related hearing loss be cured? Unfortunately not. This form of hearing loss and tinnitus can’t be cured, though it can be managed very successfully. Strategies developed to keep your hearing safe will be more effective the better you understand the mechanisms behind hearing loss.
This research is most likely just the first step in a longer undertaking. But every bit helps. Your immediate role is to get your hearing examined and use hearing protection.
