College should be a time of spreading one’s wings and learning the ropes of living as an independent and responsible adult. It is also a time when young people enjoy attending sporting events to root on the home team, going to music concerts and of course the obligatory parties. However, there is one thing that college students are not prepared to experience from their time on campus, hearing loss.

In a recent study done by researchers in Massachusetts in 2016 using a speech-to-noise audio test, they found that some college students have hearing loss in the frequencies to efficiently discern speech. They even gave this phenomenon a name, hidden hearing loss otherwise known as “cochlear synaptopathy”. The connecting link to all the students who were found to have hidden hearing loss was because of regular exposure to high noise levels.

The loudness (pressure wave) of a sound is measured in decibels (dB). A typical conversation occurs at 60 dB and will not cause hearing loss. But noises that reach 85 dB or above can cause permanent damage leading to hearing loss.

Unlike regular hearing loss caused by age and noise exposure that cause damage to the sensory nerve cells of the ear, hidden hearing loss is caused by damage to the connections between the sensory nerve cells and the auditory nerve fibers. That means that while the sensory nerves are working, the electrical signals have a hard time transferring information to the brain. This makes hidden hearing less likely to be diagnosed because it cannot be detected using a standard audiogram (hearing test).

There is, however, one way to tell that you may be experiencing hidden hearing loss. This type of problem presents as a difficulty of hearing voices in noisy environments. Not just the regular difficulties encountered by everyone in a loud venue, but a total inability to make out someone speaking to you at all.

There are precautions every student can take to prevent hidden hearing loss from ruining your college experience, or impacting your life afterward.

First, it is vital to understand how loud things we take for granted in modern life can be. Below is a partial list of the noises that college students are exposed to regularly. All are above the danger level of 85 dB

• Concerts: Between 110 dB and 120 dB and can be as high as 140 dB in front of the speakers
• Headphones or earbuds at maximum volume: around 100 dB
• College basketball game: around 110 dB

Ways to prevent yourself from becoming a statistic is to take good care of your hearing.

If you are attending a concert or a large sporting event, wear foam earplugs. These devices are relatively cheap and can be purchased online or at any pharmacy. If possible, get custom made earplugs. These will fit better to offer better protection.

Other ways to protect your hearing is to sit at least 10 feet away from speakers and occasionally relocate to a quieter spot to allow your ears to rest. Try not to shout to be heard as this can further harm your ears. Rest your ears at least 24 hours after exposure to give them a chance to recover. Decrease the volume on your listening device to below 60% and make sure to give your ears periodic breaks.

Although thinking about hearing loss isn’t pretty when you are attending college, it is vital if you wish to avoid a lifelong catastrophe. Through awareness and taking some simple precautions, you can prevent developing permanent hearing loss and be able to use your hearing to hear your family friends into old age.

Shirley J. Davis is a senior psychology major, she can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]