{"id":2250,"date":"2025-02-28T17:02:52","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T23:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/?p=2250"},"modified":"2025-02-28T17:02:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T23:02:53","slug":"what-is-hidden-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/what-is-hidden-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Hidden Hearing Loss?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Standard pure-tone hearing tests accurately <a href=\"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/hearing-aids\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/hearing-aids\/\">diagnose most hearing loss<\/a>. However, some people experience problems hearing, yet their pure-tone hearing test results come back normal. Their condition is referred to as hidden hearing loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is a Pure Tone Audiometry Test?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Pure tone audiometry tests use air conduction to measure your ability to hear sounds at various frequencies and volumes. Your results are charted on an audiogram, which is a graph that plots data about your hearing loss by comparing frequency with loudness. This helps your audiologist determine your hearing threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Doesn\u2019t Hidden Hearing Loss Show Up on an Audiogram?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most sensorineural hearing loss is due to damage to the hair cells of the inner ear. These cells play a critical role in our ability to hear. Once they are damaged, they cannot be repaired. However, in people with hidden hearing loss, these hair cells remain undamaged. This is why hearing loss doesn\u2019t show up on their audiogram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you experience hidden hearing loss, it\u2019s likely that your auditory nerve fibers are damaged instead. This can interfere with the connection between your brain and ears, causing hearing difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Diagnose Hidden Hearing Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"483\" src=\"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/speech-in-tone-hearing-test.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2253\" style=\"width:481px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Other tests are needed to diagnose hidden hearing loss. One option is for you to take a \u201cspeech in noise\u201d test that evaluates your ability to separate speech from background noise.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An auditory brainstem response (ABR) test is another option to test for hidden hearing loss. In an ABR test, electrodes are attached to your head, scalp or earlobes, and you are given headphones to wear. Your brainwave activity is measured in response to sounds of varying intensities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Manage Hidden Hearing Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies have shown that <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/thehearingjournal\/Fulltext\/2020\/08000\/Consequences_of_Hidden_Tinnitus_and_Hearing_Loss.3.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hearing loss of any kind can negatively impact quality of life<\/a>. It\u2019s important for those with hidden hearing loss to find the right care to manage their condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your audiologist might recommend hearing aids or assistive listening devices to help treat your condition. Additionally, there are steps to take steps to make hearing easier in your day-to-day life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pick quieter spots to meet up with friends or go to [city] restaurants earlier to beat the crowds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sit up close in lecture halls, work meetings or anywhere else it\u2019s important for you to hear the speaker.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Try your best not to isolate. Hearing loss can be a frustrating and lonely experience. However, not only can isolation be bad for your mental well-being, but it can also worsen hearing loss as well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Standard pure-tone hearing tests accurately diagnose most hearing loss. However, some people experience problems hearing, yet their pure-tone hearing test results come back normal. Their condition is referred to as hidden hearing loss. What Is a Pure Tone Audiometry Test? Pure tone audiometry tests use air conduction to measure your ability to hear sounds at&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hearing-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nelsonhearing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}