Baby Boomer Hearing Loss

The first generation to be raised on rock-n-roll is experiencing more hearing loss than any other generation. Even the nation's second youngest president in history, 46 year old President Clinton, was wearing hearing aids in both ears five years after he entered the White House.

Hearing loss has been thought of as a problem typically affection seniors, but more American's are experiencing hearing loss at a much earlier age. 15% of school-aged children have hearing defects, but, the most noticeable segment of the population to report hearing difficulties - sensitivity to loud sounds, and incessant buzzing, both indications of hearing loss - are the Baby Boomers in their 40's and 50's.

You may wonder why this is happening.Well, we baby boomers are the first generation to be born and raised on rock music, gas-powered lawn mowers, traffic gridlock, chain saws and other everyday threats to our hearing.

Loud noise does not cause pain until the sound reaches high decibel levels. People generally don't notice the noise as damaging until it is too late. It doesn't take much to start a gradual damaging effect that can lead to partial or even total hearing loss. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that regular exposure to sounds above 70 decibels - that's the everyday sounds we all hear like a hair dryer, vacuum cleaner or gas lawn mower - can begin to damage hearing!

Most people experience hearing loss over a period of time, usually a 15 to 20 year period. Repeated and regular noise exposure damages the small hair cells of the inner ear that interprets sound vibrations as words or music or other sounds. The hair cells in the ear can not grow back because they are highly developed end-stage cells. Once they are destroyed, they are gone for good.