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We all know that we should be taking care of our bodies by eating nutritious food, exercising regularly and ensuring that we get plenty of sleep, but certain parts of our bodies need a little extra help to stay in tip-top condition, and without it, we may notice that they start to deteriorate.
One such area is our hearing.
Hearing loss affects 48 million people in the US alone and over 466 million people worldwide and although our chances of experiencing hearing loss increase as we age, there are also environmental factors that can cause hearing loss and things that we can be doing right now to prevent it. So here are 5 little things we could all be doing to take better care of our ears in order to ensure we protect our hearing for the future.
1, Reduce the volume
Music may sound great when played extra loud, but listening to music at loud volumes for prolonged periods of time can cause serious lasting damage to your ears. Just 15 minutes of loud music played through headphones or a speaker can cause lasting permanent damage to your hearing, and if this is repeated regularly then you are at serious risk of developing early hearing loss. Try improving the quality of your headphones or speaker rather than increasing the volume.
2. Wear hearing protection when required
Whether you’re drilling through concrete with a power tool, attending a music concert, or simply spending a lot of time on a noisy subway, your ears don’t discriminate between the sounds that cause them damage. If you know you are going to be exposed to very loud noises for an extended period of time, such as on your daily commute or at a music festival, then the only way that you can protect your ears is to wear suitable hearing protection. The loud noises may not feel like they’re hurting your ears, but the damage will be done and you will have to live with the effects for the rest of your lifetime.
3. Don’t try to clean your own earwax
Our ears naturally produce earwax and for the most part, are also very good at regulating production and self-cleaning. Over the years, people have become obsessive about cleaning their ear-wax but putting your fingers or other devices in your ears can actually do more harm than good. Trying to remove earwax yourself will almost always result in pushing the earwax further into your ear canal, causing compaction and buildup that can give you an ear infection or make it hard to hear. If you’re worried about ear-wax build up then always visit a hearing specialist who will be able to remove your earwax safely.
4. Keep your ears dry
Animals that spend a lot of time in water often have specialist ear structures that prevent water from entering their ears, but because humans weren’t designed to spend a lot of time in or underwater, we haven’t evolved this adaptation. Excess water and moisture inside the ear canal can create the perfect environment for bacteria to grow, leading to ear infections such as swimmer’s ear, which are not only painful but can pose a threat to your future hearing. To avoid getting ear infections, try to always keep your ears dry by gently towel drying them after bathing or swimming, tilting your head to the side to allow excess water out or even wearing specialist ear-plugs.
5. Visit your audiologist regularly
We go to the dentist at least once a year to have a checkup for our teeth, and many of us visit the optometrist to have a checkup on our eyes, and yet many of us fail to visit an audiologist to have our hearing and our ears checked out. The best way to ensure that your hearing stays in tip-top condition is to follow the guidance above and to visit your audiologist every year or so. At your audiologist appointment, your hearing specialist will be able to test your hearing, remove any build-up of earwax if required and give you guidance on how to protect your hearing as you age. Another important reason to visit an audiologist, especially if you are over 60, is because age-related hearing loss can go undetected for many years, and you risk living with undetected hearing loss that may start to have a big impact on your daily life.
Our hearing is a gift and deserves to be looked after, so stay safe, and look after your ears if you want good hearing for many years to come.
