Running head: HEARING LOSS MUSIC

The Effects of Music on Hearing Loss

Trey A. Dailey
The University of Memphis

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Outline
1. Hearing loss is caused by bone and nerve deteriorating.
a. More causes of hearing loss
b. History of hearing loss
c. Aging and Hearing Loss
2. Hearing Loss in Adolescents Article
a. Previous Studies on Adolescent Hearing
b. Adolescent exposure to music
c. Music for life may improve hearing
3. Musical Training on Aging Brains
a. Higher Education and Hearing
b. Hearing Threshold
c. Music Training Enhances Hearing

Annotated Bibliography
Alain, C., Zendel, B. R., Hutka, S., & Bidelman, G. M. (2014). Turning down the noise: The
benefit of musical training on the aging auditory brain. Hearing Research, 308162 173.
doi:10.1016/j.heares.2013.06.008

Alain et. al says that hearing loss can be caused by changes within the cochlea
There is evidence that higher educational or being bilingual reduce the negative effects of

aging on cognitive abilities; delaying cognitive decline (Alain et. al 2014)

According to Alain et. al, this study focuses on the idea that being in music for life

decreases the chances of having age-related decline in auditory perception and cognition.
Musical training has been shown to enhance performance in auditory skills

Biassoni, E. C., Serra, M. R., Hinalaf, M., Abraham, M., Pavlik, M., Villalobo, J. P., & ...
Righetti, A. (2014). Hearing and loud music exposure in a group of adolescents at the

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ages of 14-15 and retested at 17-18. Noise & Health, 16(72), 331-341 11p.
doi:10.4103/1463-1741.140515

Biassoni et al. (2014) claim that adolescents frequently expose themselves to damaging

loud noises (p. 1)

Compared to the 70s through the 80s, the 1980s to the 2000s, sound exposure to

adolescents has tripled from 6.7% to 18.8% (Biassoni et al. 2014)

Biassoni et al. determined that hearing threshold shifts after a 3-year-interval in tandem

with the levels of music exposure

Biassoni et al. came to the conclusion that the continuous exposure to high levels of
music could be one of the causes of the gradual shift of the hearing threshold in a 3-year
interval.

Winsor, D., Murrell, V., & Mabel-Jackson, S. (2015) Lifespan Development: An Educational

Psychology Perspective. Boston, MA: Pearson

According to Winsor, Murrell, & Mabel-Jackson (2015), Hearing loss can be caused by

bones and nerves deteriorating in the ear as we age. (p. 29)

Hearing can be improved by changing the pitch of the sound, because low tones are
easier to hear than high pitched tones (Winsor, Murrell, and Mabel-Jackson 2015, p 29).

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The Effects of Music on Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is a commonality in the todays society. It is especially prevalent in elderly
people 65 and above. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders (NIDCD), age related hearing loss, known as presbycusis, occurs in
one in three people between the ages of 65 and 74, and half of persons older than 75, so one in
two people, have difficulty hearing. In fact, hearing loss is one of the top illnesses with the
elderly, second only to arthritis (National). This type of hearing loss, though, has many different
causes. As we get older, there are changes in the inner and middle ear that affect the ability to
hear properly. The NIDCD reports that the ability to hear is directly affected by the hair follicles
in the ear. As the hair cells are damaged or begin to die, hearing begins to decline. Once these
hair cells are damaged or die, they cannot and do not grow back. While old age is one of the
main causes, there are many other causes that can contribute to hearing loss as well.
Health issues, though considered minor causes, can play a role in the decay of hearing.
These issues can vary from hypertension, or high blood pressure, as well as diabetes and even

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chemotherapy.
With hypertension, according to Argarwal et. al, high blood pressure in the vascular
system has the potential to cause inner ear hemorrhaging. This hemorrhaging can cause
progressive or, in some cases, sudden hearing loss.
As far as diabetes is concerned, according to the American Diabetes Association, recent
studies show that hearing loss is twice as common in people with diabetes as it is in those that do
not have diabetes. It is officially unknown whether the two are directly correlated, however its
possible diabetes causes damage to the small blood vessels in the inner ear, similar to its effect
on the eyes and kidneys. However, in cases of diabetes induced hearing loss, if the two are
linked, family members notice the change before the person experiencing it, making this form of
hearing loss extremely minute (American).
Finally, there is chemotherapy induced hearing loss. According to the Department of
Surgery at the University of Arizona, chemotherapy has a side effect known as ototoxicity, or
toxicity to the inner ear. This usually causes permanent sensorineural hearing loss. With this type
of hearing loss, frequencies greater than 10000 Hz usually begin to fade, so hearing loss is not
noticed as easily. As chemotherapy continues, hearing loss becomes more severe, eventually
affecting the Hz level associated with normal speech range. After chemotherapy, usually patients
that experience this hearing loss require hearing aids in order to be able to adequately hear.
However, none of these methods of hearing loss are nearly as common as noise induced
hearing loss.
Music is an integral part of life for most people, if not all. From concerts and
performances to listening to music with headphones or a car radio, humans spend a lot of time
listening to and enjoying music. Younger adolescents, though, spend a significant amount of time

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with headphones in. This is a main cause for another main type of hearing loss, noise induced
hearing loss (NIHL). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), NIHL is caused by
exposure to excessively loud sounds and cannot be medically or surgically correct. It can be the
result of a one-time exposure to a very loud sound or blast, or from listening to loud sounds over
an extended period. According to Cory Portnuff and Brian Fligor, experts with the National
Hearing Conservation Association, simply listening to music on full volume for more than 5
minutes per day, through stock headphones, significantly increases the risk of NIHL in an
average person. While listening to music is a great and very common pastime, is it really worth
losing your hearing for volume sake?
Adolescents rarely make a conscious effort to regulate their intake of excessively loud
music and sounds. In fact, according to the CDC, it is estimated that 12.5% of both children and
adolescents from the ages of 6-19 years old, which is about 5.2 million, and 17% of adults from
the ages of 20-69 years old, which is about 26 million) have already suffered permanent damage
from excessive noise exposure. When measuring the intensity of sound, the unit used most
commonly is Decibels (dB). To give bearings, when the average person breathes, they breathe at
10 dB; 70 dB can be considered annoyingly loud to most people, and once sound reaches 150
dB, the ear drums risk the possibility of rupturing. The average rock concert averages 108 to 114
dB (Purdue). This is about 8 to 14 dB over the average human threshold of pain for sound as far
as volume is concerned. It is quite easy to see how adolescents easily damage their hearing. In
fact, exposure to just 100 dB for 8 hours is likely to cause serious hearing damage. A major
factor causing exposure to unsafe levels of sound is simply not knowing how harmful it can be to
the hair cells responsible for hearing.

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Researchers concerned with the rise in NIHL conducted a study on adolescents and loud
music exposure. (Biassoni et. al). In this study conducted over 4 years, researchers wanted to
compare the auditory function between initial testing and then retesting 4 years later, the musical
exposure levels during recreational activities both during initial testing and the retesting, and the
auditory function with the musical exposure along time in a subgroup within the group of
adolescents. In this study, 59 boys aged 14-15 went through different tests that: examined their
inner ear, surveyed them on their medical history, and had their hearing threshold level
determined. During this testing phase, the students were also questioned about their participation
in different music activities. From these answers, researchers divided the musical activities into 4
different groups: low exposure, moderate exposure, high exposure, and very high exposure. After
more testing, the students were then again retested 4 years later in the same manner. Through this
study, it was possible to figure out the behavior of hearing and exposure to music, along a period
of the adolescence. One of the main goals was to establish the relationship between the two. The
results obtained in a group of adolescents showed hearing threshold shifts after a 3-year-interval,
as their music exposure levels increased. The researchers firmly believe in the importance of
having educational programs in the high school years that include a psychoacoustic hearing
screening, which applies audiological tests that allow assessment of the hearing function as well
as learning about the individual vulnerability to noise overexposure in advance, in order to
adequately inform young teens their hearing and how to take care of it.
While on most occasions hearing loss cannot be reversed once it takes place, there are
many ways you can preserve your hearing. For example, Portnuff and Fligor, the experts
aforementioned, claim that one could safely listen to their iPod at 70% volume for 4.6 hours
(PhysOrg). Headphones designed to block out background noise are also a useful tool, as their

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design eliminates the need to turn the volume up above safe levels in places with elevated
background noise. Another method of hearing preservation is, ironically, through musical
training. Scientists question whether people with formal musical training, whether early in life or
currently, experience long-term effects that offset normal age related hearing loss. To solve this
question, researchers gathered participants aged 55-76 into three different groups: no music
training, little music training, and moderate music training, all done before age 25. The groups
were instructed to listen to presentations of synthesized speech syllable da and then had their
auditory brainstem responses to complex sounds recorded. Results from this experiment showed
that adults with moderate training had the fastest neural timing, and adults with little music
training were next, followed by the adults with no music training. These scientists concluded that
continued music training is, in fact, related with improved cognitive functioning in older adults.
This is because it naturally follows that the brain of adult musicians with lots of music training
would show significant structural adaptations that differentiate them from those of nonmusicians. For most, though, it is too late to combat hearing loss, however it may be wise to raise
children with musical training in order to lessen the chances of NIHL.
Hearing loss can be developed from many different sources, however the most common
source is certainly the one that can be avoided the most. Being mindful about what you listen to,
how long you listen to it for, and how loud it is can have a dramatic impact on the future of your
hearing. Ironically, the same thing that can cause your hearing to decline has been proven to also
make it better, when used correctly and in the right setting. Proper education of hearing and the
importance of maintaining good hearing is also important to the welfare of adolescents future of
hearing whether they believe it or not. Hearing is one of the five senses that people can work

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towards preventing from decay by age if, like most health related issues, they take proper care of
it throughout their life.

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References

Agarwal, S., Mishra, A., Jagade, M., Kasbekar, V., & Nagle, S. K. (2013, February 17). Effects
of Hypertension on Hearing. Retrieved March 04, 2016, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3889339/
Alain, C., Zendel, B. R., Hutka, S., & Bidelman, G. M. (2014). Turning down the noise: The
benefit of musical training on the aging auditory brain. Hearing Research, 308162-173.
doi:10.1016/j.heares.2013.06.008
American Diabetes Association. (2014, June 10). Diabetes and Hearing Loss. Retrieved March
04, 2016, from http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-andcare/seniors/diabetes-and-hearing-loss.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
Biassoni, E. C., Serra, M. R., Hinalaf, M., Abraham, M., Pavlik, M., Villalobo, J. P., & ...
Righetti, A. (2014). Hearing and loud music exposure in a group of adolescents at the
ages of 14-15 and retested at 17-18. Noise & Health, 16(72), 331-341 11p.
doi:10.4103/1463-1741.140515
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015, August 26). Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.
Retrieved March 04, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/noise/index.htm
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2013, November). AgeRelated Hearing Loss. Retrieved March 04, 2016, from
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/Pages/Age-Related-Hearing-Loss.aspx
PhysOrg. (2006, October 17). Researchers Recommend Safe Listening Levels for Apple iPod.
Retrieved March 04, 2016, from http://phys.org/news/2006-10-safe-apple-ipod.html
Purdue University. (2000, February). Noise Comparisons. Retrieved March 04, 2016, from
https://www.chem.purdue.edu/chemsafety/Training/PPETrain/dblevels.htm

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University of Arizona Department of Surgery. (n.d.). Chemotherapy-Induced Hearing Loss.
Retrieved March 04, 2016, from http://surgery.arizona.edu/conditions/chemotherapyinduced-hearing-loss
Winsor, D., Murrell, V., & Mabel-Jackson, S. (2015) Lifespan Development: An Educational
Psychology Perspective. Boston, MA: Pearson

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