Normally, when you’re confronted with hearing loss (no matter the type), the first thing you should do is try to control the damage. There are, in fact, some straightforward steps you can take to safeguard your ears and limit further hearing loss.
Step 1: Clean Your Ears
Did you clean behind your ears? It’s one of those first hygiene lessons you learn (or should have learned), right? But it’s actually the inner ear we’re concerned with cleaning in terms of hearing health, not behind the ears.
Keeping your ears clear of wax accumulation can help your hearing in a number of different ways:
- Earwax accumulation also interferes with the operation of your hearing aid if you use one. You might end up feeling like your hearing is going downhill because of this.
- Sound can be blocked from getting into the inner ear when there’s too much wax buildup. As a result, your ability to hear becomes diminished.
- Untidy ears increase your odds of developing an ear infection, which leads to inflammation that (when serious enough) impedes your ability to hear. Your hearing will return to normal after the ear infection clears.
- Your brain and ability to interpret sound will inevitably be impacted by neglected hearing loss.
If you observe earwax accumulation, it’s definitely not advisable that you dig around in there with a cotton swab. In most cases, a cotton swab will make things worse or cause additional damage. Over the counter ear drops are a better opinion.
Step 2: Avoid Loud Noises
This one is so instinctive it almost shouldn’t be on the list. But determining how loud is too loud is the real difficulty for most people. For instance, highway driving can be loud enough to damage your ears over an extended time period. Also, believe it or not, your lawn mower can take a toll on your ears. Clearly, it’s more than rock concerts or high volume speakers that cause hearing impairment.
Here are a few ways to avoid damaging noise:
- When decibel levels get too high, an app on your phone can notify you of that.
- Wearing hearing protection when noisy environments are unavoidable. Does your job put you on the floor of a loud manufacturing plant? Going to see a rock concert? That’s cool. Just use the necessary ear protection. Modern earmuffs and earplugs supply ample protection.
- Staying away from turning up the volume on your headphones when you’re listening to music or watching videos. Most phones have built-in alerts when you’re nearing a dangerous level.
The damage to your hearing from loud noises will build up gradually. So if you’ve been to a noisy event, you might have done damage even if you don’t notice it. You can only get a clean bill of health for your ears by a hearing professional.
Step #3: Address Any Hearing Loss You May Have
Hearing impairment accumulates most of the time. So recognizing any damage early on will help prevent additional injury. So in terms of slowing down hearing loss, treatment is so essential. Your hearing will get the greatest benefit if you seek out and follow through on effective treatment.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Our advice will help you learn to protect your hearing because it is customized and personalized for you.
- Some, but not all damage can be avoided by wearing hearing aids. Hearing aids will, for instance, allow you to listen to the TV or music at a lower volume, preventing damage. Because hearing aids prevent this damage, they can also stop further deterioration of your hearing.
- Hearing aids minimize the brain strain and social isolation that exacerbate hearing loss-related health problems.
You Will be Benefited in The Future by Limiting Hearing Loss
While it’s true that hearing loss can’t be cured, getting treatment for your hearing loss will help prevent additional damage. One of the primary ways to do that, in many instances, is hearing aids. The right treatment will help you preserve your current level of hearing and stop it from worsening.
Your giving yourself the best opportunity for healthy hearing into the future by using ear protection, getting the appropriate treatment, and exercising good hearing hygiene.
