I have seen several patients recently who complain of tinnitus and have untreated sleep apnea. What could the connection be? If your body isn’t getting enough oxygen, many organs can be affected. We know that sleep apnea has increased the risk of heart problems and it can also affect tinnitus. When I have recommended a sleep study and the results are positive for sleep apnea, therapy has improved the tinnitus symptoms. Often using a CPAP will make a difference immediately. I … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2016
Good Healthcare includes Hearing Screenings
After age 50, regular hearing screenings are an important part of health care. Regular hearing screenings are often overlooked by family physicians, so it is important to ask and seek out hearing screenings from a licensed audiologist. Another study has come out linking hearing loss to mental decline. A study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry on April 25, 2016 has shown that adults age 80-99 with hearing loss were more likely to have dementia than adults age … [Read more...]
Hearing Well Improves Quality of Life
My mother was diagnosed with a hearing loss at the age of 52. At that time, we did not have the technology available to help her. She was fit with hearing aids at the age of 60 and wore hearing aids for the next 27 years. Not only did it make communicating with her much easier, early adoption allowed her to maintain her brain’s ability to understand speech. Even though her hearing got progressively worse over 30 + years, her ability to understand words never changed. This is why it is so … [Read more...]
The Brain Adjusts to Sounds
When a person is first fit with hearing aids, it is not unusual for them to remark about “noises” that they hear. The Brain is adjusting to the sounds. Most people have waited several years before getting their first pair of hearing aids. Hearing changes gradually over time and the brain also adjusts to the lack of sounds. Sounds disappear or may sound different. Even though we generally start by setting hearing aids softer than the patient’s target, it isn’t unusual to hear comments like “my … [Read more...]