Even though not all kinds of hearing loss are preventable, there are certain steps that can be taken to prevent or mitigate age-related hearing loss or noise-induced hearing loss.
It does not matter whether you are 20 or 70 years old; protecting your hearing is very important. This includes the use of hearing protection gear when exposed to noisy environments, taking personal care regarding your health, and following your audiologist's advice on how to maintain your hearing health.
Reducing exposure to loud sounds is critical, but there are additional habits you can develop to help preserve your hearing as you age.
8 Habits to Protect your Hearing
There are small and fragile cells situated in your ears and they are also sensitive to blood flow. These cells are specific for hearing and once they are destroyed, it results in hearing loss. Maintaining good overall health is important in the prevention or the rate of progression of hearing loss.
Supervise and Control Cardiovascular Condition
Lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and heart diseases can negatively affect the small structures in the ear that help in hearing. People with high cholesterol or hypertension should follow their audiologist advice to prevent hearing loss.
Do Not Smoke and Reduce on the Use of Alcohol
The current studies reveal that any form of smoke from cigarettes either firsthand, secondhand or during pregnancy is dangerous to hearing health. Likewise, alcohol use turns the ear into a toxic place hence leading to hearing loss among individuals. Vaping is not as researched as smoking, but there are cases that show that vaping also causes sudden hearing loss.
Control Diabetes Effectively
Research has revealed that diabetics are twice as likely to have hearing loss than those who do not have the condition. Similar to hypertension, diabetes affects the cells in the inner ears; Therefore, one needs to control the blood sugar levels and adhere to the doctor’s advice.
Physical activity and stress control
Exercise is important for the body because it simulates the circulation of blood in the ears. Avoid loud music at the gym or improper ways of weight lifting as these may harm your hearing. Stress can also be damaging to the hearing, so try and manage stress as much as possible.
Ensure You Take Foods that are Rich in Essential Nutrients
Some nutrients that are beneficial to hearing include B12, potassium and magnesium. Hearing loss has also been associated with iron-deficiency anemia, so consume enough foods containing iron.
Understand Your Family History
Although it is impossible to stop the development of hearing loss by knowing your family history of the same, it is helpful to know your potential dangers. Hearing loss when detected early will not affect your thought process, mood swings, or social life.
Ototoxic Medications
Most of the OTC and RX drugs cause hearing loss. These ototoxic medications include simple analgesics such as aspirin to potent chemotherapeutic drugs. Always consult your audiologist about other forms of treatment that can be taken to reduce the chances of suffering from hearing loss due to medication.
How to Prevent Noise Induced Hearing Loss
Even if you are in a very good shape, eat a lot of vitamins, and take care of your diet, you can lose your hearing if exposed to loud sounds without any protection. It does not matter the age of the person or whether or not they have some level of hearing loss, it is important to safeguard the ears in loud situations.
Main Sources of Hazardous Sound
As mentioned earlier, there are different types of hearing loss that is caused by sound. It is recommended to avoid loud noise such as gunshot or loud bangs such as the sound of fire crackers. Repetitive, though not necessarily very loud noise, like the roar of an airplane engine, the sound of a concert or even a dental drill, can also cause gradual, cumulative, irreversible hearing loss.
Surprisingly enough, one of the most frequent causes of hearing loss is the incorrect usage of in-ear devices such as earphones and headphones. If you are among those who listen to music at high volume, then you are actually in a dangerous position of losing your hearing.
Measures to take to Avoid Losing Your Hearing
When you are likely to be exposed to loud sounds then ensure that you wear a hearing protection like the earmuffs or the ear plugs. For those who work in a noisy environment, these include hair salons that are frequently filled with the sound of blow driers or any environment with background music. Ensure that your employer offers you protection against noise, or you should consider getting one for yourself. Preventing damage to your ears today can go a long way in preventing hearing impairment in future.
It is recommended that musicians and music lovers should use what is termed as musicians ear plugs which protects your hearing while allowing you to hear everything at a safer volume.
Recognizing Dangerous Noise Levels
It is widely known that any sound above 85 decibels is dangerous to hearing. This amount of noise is as loud as being in city traffic or using a lawnmower. If you are still in doubt regarding the decibel levels in your surrounding, there are applications for smartphones that can assist you with this. Keep these guidelines in mind:
If you have to raise your voice to be heard over the din
If you cannot understand what a person is saying standing three feet away from him or her
It has been observed that speech sounds flat or even a bit bored after coming out of a noisy environment
If after you have been exposed to loud sounds, you develop pain or a ringing in your ears (tinnitus).
Regular Hearing Check-Ups
Taking preventive measures in regard to hearing is also an important part of it, which means passing hearing tests. Like any other body organs, you need to have regular check ups, just like you have eye or dental check ups; it is the same with hearing tests. If you are already experiencing some degree of hearing loss, then it means that if you seek early treatment, the problem will not aggravate.
If you are prepared to set up a starting point hearing exam or think that you have hearing impairment, then you should contact a hearing healthcare provider in your region. These measures if adopted today will assist you to have healthy ears in the future.
Hearing Aids: A solution for Hearing Loss
If you are suffering from hearing loss, you should check with your audiologist to recommend the types of hearing aids that fits you. After that, we recommend visiting Widex, a top company for selling medical equipment related to hearing.
Buy the best hearing aids now with Widex and do not suffer from hearing loss again! Buy your hearing aids now!
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