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9 Ways to Protect Your Hearing
Protecting your hearing is important whether you’re eight or ninety-eight, have hearing loss or can hear a conversation from a mile away. Unfortunately, today’s lifestyle makes it much easier to be surrounded by loud noises and turn the volume up in our ear buds.
Everyone is more prone to damaging their hearing now more than ever before. Approximately 15% of Americans have some degree of noise-induced hearing loss. Many often wait an average of five to seven years from the time they notice a change in their hearing before they seek treatment.
Whether or not you have hearing loss, everyone can take steps to protect their ears and their hearing. So here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind!
1) Use ear plugs
If you work in a factory, go to loud concerts or clubs, or even love mowing your lawn, ear plugs are cheap and easy ways to protect your hearing. A good rule of thumb is to wear them when you’re in any environment that requires you to shout to the person standing next to you to be heard. This will help reduce harmful sound levels so your ears aren’t strained for prolonged amounts of time.
Some people prefer to use foam or silicon earplugs in bulk at their local convenience store, while others may prefer to invest in custom fitted ear plugs. Musicians may choose to be fitted for these that have filters to allow one to hear music and conversations while also reducing overall noise levels. Custom-made ear protection provides more defense against noise and is a great solution for anyone who regularly works in a noisy environment!
2) Turn it down!
With today’s advanced technology, it’s so easy to crank up the volume to listen to your favorite song on the radio or your personal electronic devices. Whether you’re in the middle of a car karaoke session or blaring your favorite tunes while working out, these situations are major contributors to noise-induced hearing loss.
In fact, the World Health Organization believe that 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults worldwide are at risk for hearing loss from listening to their audio devices at unsafe levels.
To help minimize that risk, its recommended that anyone listening to music on their headphones follow the 60/60 rule: volume at no louder than 60% for no more than 60 minutes per day. If this is difficult or impossible to manage, try to keep the volume down and give your ears a break every now and again.
3) Rest your ears
If you’ve had a big night out at a crazy concert or work in on a construction site, try to take five minutes here and there to step outside and give your ears a break. Researchers found that it takes about sixteen hours of quiet for ears to rest after a loud night. So it’s important to take a moment to rest not only the body but the ears as well!
4) No more cotton swabs
Did you know that your ears self-clean? While many people are in the habit of using cotton swabs to remove earwax it’s unnecessary and actually dangerous for the ear itself. The earwax is important because it stops dust and particles from entering the canal that could cause damage and infection for to the ears. Using cotton swabs or inserting anything in the ear canal not only removes the necessary earwax but also runs the risk of damaging the eardrum as well. So put down the cotton swabs!
5) Be careful with medications
Some medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) or aspirin and certain antibiotics have been found to contribute to hearing loss in some cases. Use medications only as directed by your doctor or medical professional!
6) Keep your ears dry
Excess moisture in the ear can lead to an infection that can damage your hearing. Instead of using cotton swabs, use a towel to dry the outside of your ears after swimming or a shower. If you have water in your ear, tilt your head and gently pull on your ear lobe to coax the water out.
7) Get moving!
Keep your ears healthy but making sure you exercise regularly. By doing cardio work outs like running, walking, biking or whatever increases your heart rate, your ears will benefit by getting more blood circulated into all of the internal hearing parts. This helps keep them operating at their maximum potential.
8) Relax
Many may not realize this but high levels of stress are contributing factors to tinnitus (ringing of the ears). Stress not only affects your heart rate and mind but it has been found to affect the ears due to the pressure put on nerves and blood flow.
9) Get checked!
Finally, annual check ups, particularly hearing tests, helps one keep a close eye on their hearing health. If you haven’t yet, schedule your annual hearing test with us at Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services! Your audiologist can keep track of your hearing and help provide an early diagnosis if hearing loss is present.
So do yourself and your ears a favor and remember to keep these tips in mind!
