Sponsored by
Deaf for a day
Reporter Hayley O'Keeffe spends the day unable to hear, thanks to special inner ear plugs
I can hear my heart beating and my tummy gurgling.
I seem to be isolated from the rest of the office, are they laughing at me?
It looks like paranoia has set in.
The reason is I am deaf for a day, fitted with inner ear plugs to experience what life is like for one of the estimated nine million people that suffer from deafness or hearing loss in the UK.
The plugs were fitted by Stephen Beale, a practicing hearing aid audiologist based at Bedfordshire Hearing Health Care in Harpur Street, Bedford.
He said: "Deafness is on the increase thanks to people being exposed to loud noises from sources such as iPods or going to see live music.
"When people listen to music with headphones, they often turn it up louder than usual to block out peripheral noise.
"For example, an iPod on a train can be turned up to a dangerous level of 95 to 100 decibels, which will seriously damage the ears."
When Mr Beale fitted my ear plugs I felt very nervous, the substance was not only bright green, but was also squeezed from a tube that looked like it should contain some sort of industrial sealant.
My hearing faded and before long it became visible that Mr Beale was shouting to make himself heard by my impaired ears.
Walking back to the office it seemed that the only sounds that could be heard by my incapacitated lobes were the most annoying ones, the screaming baby, the road drill and the car horn all featured.
But nothing else. Not a sausage.
Arriving at the office I felt tired and nauseous. The staff in the advertising department stopped me for a chat.
It took all of my concentration to hear one person faintly, let alone furnish a group conversatio and I ended up saying things like "yes" or "really" after statements I just hadn't caught.
They laughed, I laughed, but the whole experience was rather unnerving and isolating.
But apparently I was not alone. Mr Beale said: "Common secondary symptoms of hearing loss include, isolation, frustration and depression."
"Once people reach 35 their hearing starts to decline so it is so important for younger people to look after their hearing too.
" I even wear ear protectors when I mow the lawn."
Sitting at my desk my ears start to itch and I feel like I would love to give my ear drums a really good scratch.
Although I have only been deaf for five hours, time seems to drag like I've never felt before.
Without my hearing – which I have always taken for granted – I am actively shying away, preferring to send emails to my colleague sitting opposite rather than attempt a semi-audible conversation.
The thought of living my life like this fills me with absolute horror.
Even being deaf for a day has definitely convinced me to turn my iPod down.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Biggleswade
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 0 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
