Isn’t pizza fascinating? As long as a few factors are met, you can adjust toppings, cheese, and sauce, and it’s still a pizza. That’s similar to hearing loss. But as long as you have trouble hearing sound, it’s still hearing loss regardless of whether it’s due to genetic factors, age, obstructions, or exposure to loud noise.
Minimizing the damage is the first step you should take when facing hearing loss of any variety. You can, after all, take some basic steps to limit additional damage and safeguard your ears.
Tip 1: Clean your ears
Did you clean behind your ears? It’s one of those childhood hygiene lessons you learn, or should have learned, right? But it’s inside of your ears that we’re worried about here, regarding hearing health, not behind your ears.
Keeping your ears free of wax buildup can help your hearing in several different ways:
- Unclean ears raise your chances of getting an ear infection, which creates swelling that when significant enough, disrupts your hearing. When your ear infection clears up, your regular hearing will normally come back (but that’s something you should talk to a doctor about).
- If you have a hearing aid, earwax can also impact that. This might make you think that your hearing is starting to fail.
- Sound waves going to your ears can be impeded when a substantial amount of earwax builds up. When this happens you won’t be capable of hearing as well.
A cotton swab is absolutely not the best tool to use to get any earwax that you may have noticed out and is strongly discouraged. In most cases, a cotton swab will make things worse or cause added damage. Over-the-counter ear drops are recommended as an alternative.
Tip 2: Stay away from loud sounds that could result in hearing loss
This is so evident that it kind of goes without saying. The problem is that most individuals are hard-pressed to characterize what a “loud noise” actually is. For example, freeway driving can be loud enough to harm your ears over a long period of time. The engine on your lawnmower can be very taxing on your ears, also. Clearly, other things besides rock concerts or blaring speakers can damage your ears.
Here are a number of ways to steer clear of loud, damaging noises.:
- Abstaining from turning the volume up on your headphones when you’re watching videos or listening to music. When approaching dangerous levels, most headphones have a built-in warning.
- Wearing hearing protection when loud settings are unavoidable. Do you work on a loud industrial floor? It’s okay if you want to attend that rock concert. But use the necessary ear protection. Modern earmuffs and earplugs supply adequate protection.
- When decibel levels become dangerously loud, you can make use of an app on your phone to alert you.
There’s a gradual development to hearing loss that’s due to loud sound. So, even if your hearing “feels” fine after a noisy event, that doesn’t mean it is. We can only help you find out if you have hearing loss if you call for an appointment.
Tip 3: If you have any hearing loss, get it treated
In most instances, hearing loss accumulates gradually over a long period of time. So, the earlier you recognize the damage, the better you’ll be able to protect against additional damage. That’s why treatment is incredibly important in terms of minimizing hearing loss. Effective treatments (on which you follow through) will leave your hearing in the best possible condition.
Treatment works like this:
- Hearing aids can prevent some, but not all, damage. For instance, hearing aids will prevent you from cranking the volume of your television up so loud it becomes harmful. Because hearing aids prevent this damage, they can also stop further impairment of your hearing.
- Hearing loss-related health conditions that are exacerbated by social solitude and brain strain can be avoided by using hearing aids.
- When you come in and see us we will provide personalized guidance and advice to help you steer clear of further damage to your ears.
Over the long haul, you will be benefited by using hearing aids
While we know that hearing loss has no cure, hearing specialists are working hard to limit further damage to your hearing. In many cases, hearing loss treatment is one of the primary ways to achieve that. The correct treatment will help you preserve your current level of hearing and stop it from getting worse.
You’re taking the proper steps to limit hearing loss and put yourself in the best situation to continue to have healthy hearing if you practice good hygiene, utilize ear protection, and come see us for regular hearing tests.