Music effortlessly fills the air, like waves filling holes in the sand; the sound rushes in and surrounds everyone in a room. Music somehow speaks to people. A fast tempo stimulates our mood or makes us dance, while a slow tempo can help us relax. But to hear the notes that fill the space, you need to have good hearing first.
Hearing is an essential sense. In addition to allowing us to appreciate music, it helps us interact with our environment, feel nature’s sounds or the words spoken by others. Although this sense is fundamental, people often ignore it and do not protect their own hearing. Wondering what the essential habits to adopt to take care of your ear health are? In this article, we have put together 5 tips to help you preserve your hearing. Keep reading!
1. Protect Your Ears From Excessive Noise
Excessive noise-induced hearing loss is an insidious and cumulative condition that worsens over the years due to prolonged exposure to excessive noise, both at work and during leisure activities.
Indeed, high intensity sound stimuli can permanently destroy hearing cells, irreversibly affecting hearing ability.
In case of sudden, sporadic or prolonged exposure to sounds above 85 decibels, it is advisable to wear hearing protection to avoid noise-induced hearing loss.
2. Clean Your Ears Properly
Although most people consider this a healthy habit, using ear cleaning cotton buds can lead to severe hearing problems. The pads, far from being beneficial, remove earwax that protects the ear canal, leaving the ear exposed to fungus and bacteria.
The best way to maintain ear hygiene is to clean only the pinna, the exposed part of the external ear. It is unnecessary to remove the earwax that accumulates since the body itself is responsible for the excess’s natural expulsion.
If excess ear wax in the ear compromises hearing, it is vital to seek an audiologist’s help to properly remove the earwax plug.
3. Avoid Prolonged Use of a Headphones
Long-term use of headphones can cause irreversible hearing damage, headaches, tinnitus, and irritability. This is because the devices generate high-intensity sound vibrations that overload the hair cells responsible for capturing sound.
There is, therefore, a risk of injury that can reduce hearing ability. It is essential to rest your ear to protect your hearing and avoid sound levels exceeding 60 decibels.
4. Visit the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist Periodically
Any change in hearing should be evaluated as soon as possible to avoid irreversible loss. This is why, from the age of 40, it is essential to consult an otolaryngologist at least once a year.
When detected in time, the hearing loss has a better chance of being treated, which considerably improves the patient’s quality of life.
In addition to checking for possible hearing problems, the doctor assesses the ears’ general health, the presence of allergies, infections, inflammations, and other types of injuries.
5. Control and Prevent Chronic Diseases
Some diseases, such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis and hypertension, can be very harmful to the health of the ears. Exercise and a healthy diet of fruits, legumes and vegetables are essential to maintain optimal body function and prevent various diseases that can affect hearing.
The consumption of healthy foods provides essential vitamins for the maintenance of the ears, such as vitamins B9, B12, A, C and E.
Deciding to improve your life through better hearing is a big step. The most important part of your journey is the hearing care provider you choose to work with. Choice Audiology provides the highest level of hearing healthcare available. There, the audiologist educates and empowers you to make the right choice for better hearing through all of life’s stages.
