6 Ways to Maintain Your Hearing Health and Prevent Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is much more prevalent than a lot of people think, with over 48 million American adults experiencing some level of hearing loss. Also, the percentage of the total global population with hearing loss will continue increasing in the coming decades.
While permanent hearing loss is irreversible, there are many things you can do to maintain your hearing and slow down hearing loss associated with factors like our environment, lifestyles, and aging.
Turn Down the Volume
Headphones, earphones, and earbuds have become very popular in recent years. There are many reasons for this, with their users citing their sound quality, discretion, and style. However, these hearing apparatuses can have a serious effect on your hearing.
Listening to anything loudly on these devices can damage your hearing. This happens because they produce sound waves too close to the eardrum and can end up damaging them. Second, they sometimes seal the ears so tightly that they cause a pressure imbalance as the music plays. While the effects of the latter phenomenon manifest slowly, they add up over time and lead to hearing loss.
In addition to the use of music-listening devices, young people are also losing their hearing due to attending loud concerts. It takes a lot of time for your ears, especially your inner ear, to recover from loud noises. Things get even worse if you get exposed to loud sounds for a prolonged period like it happens at concerts.
If you cannot avoid attending, consider getting earplugs and reducing the number of events you attend. If you can, stay as far away from the speakers as possible to reduce the noise reaching your ears.
Use Noise-canceling Protective Equipment
In some cases, you might not be able to control the noise levels in your environment. This is typical for people who work in industries such as construction where they have to contend with the sounds of machines all day. However, you can protect your ears using protective devices. These reduce the noise around you and can sometimes cancel it altogether.
Just ensure you are always aware of your surroundings when you use noise-canceling solutions so you do not get injured due to not knowing what is happening in your environment.
Get Your Ears Checked
You should get different health checks regularly to ensure everything is fine. One of the checks you should go in for regularly is an ear checkup. Hearing loss is a gradual process, so getting one to check for the factors or issues that cause them is essential.
Two of the checks you should do include a check for eardrum damage and ear wax accumulation. With the first issue, your audiologist or doctor can advise you on the steps you should take to prevent further damage.
Earwax checks are crucial because too much wax can cause temporary hearing loss and create an environment for bacterial growth. Without professional cleaning, this can lead to infections or even eardrum damage.
Regular checks can also detect early signs of noise-induced hearing loss. This allows for preventive measures you can take with the help of an ear health expert before significant damage occurs. Some ear conditions, including Ménière’s disease and otosclerosis, progress very slowly and are debilitating in their later stages.
Regular checks that ensure early detection through routine exams can lead to more effective treatment and better outcomes.
Get Your Hearing Tested
When getting the above checks, you should also get a hearing loss exam, especially if you are over 40. These tests help an audiologist determine if you have hearing loss and its severity if you do. They will discuss different things that can help if you have the condition.
Today, hearing aids and solutions have come so far that they are the gold standard in treating hearing loss and alleviating the symptoms of associated conditions like tinnitus. It is best to get a check early to ensure you are not forced to get hearing aids when things have progressed too far.
Quit Smoking
We learn something new about the effects of smoking every time researchers release a study on the subject. In recent years, scientists and researchers have found a strong correlation between smoking and hearing loss.
They believe that the carbon monoxide and nicotine a smoker inhales can tighten blood vessels. When this happens, the inner ear is starved of oxygen and crucial nutrients required to keep the cochlea hairs responsible for perceiving sound healthy. This can ultimately lead to hearing loss.
Studies have also found that nicotine can impact auditory nerve neurotransmitters. This can impact the transmission of sound in the ear, leading to diminished hearing.
While these studies give smokers another reason to quit, there are numerous other benefits of quitting. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, and medical professionals say the lungs start healing as soon as the person stops smoking. Smoking has also been linked to a higher risk of heart disease and other smoke-related diseases.
Exercise Regularly
Did you know that exercising can benefit your ears? Exercising is one of those things that have numerous benefits beyond the obvious ones. It is a great way to stay in shape and reduce the risk of numerous conditions, but the latest studies show exercise can be great for your ears, too.
Exercising increases blood flow to different body parts, including the ears. When this happens, all these parts receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to remain healthy. Remember not to turn your music up too loud when jogging or enjoying your favorite exercises.
Hearing health is the last thing many people think about when they think about their health. However, it is vital because hearing is one of the five senses and is crucial not only for survival but also for interacting with our world. The good thing is that caring for your hearing health is not too difficult, but it often requires action. If you do nothing else, at least get regular checks and hearing tests to catch issues early and ensure you are not suffering from hearing loss without realizing it.