7 Ways to Protect Your Ears and Hearing Health

woman smiling at her professional hearing examination

Hearing loss is a very prevalent condition that can affect people of any age and in any way, regardless of their lifestyle. It is essential to take measures to safeguard your hearing and keep your ears in healthy condition if you want to avoid or reduce the risk of experiencing hearing loss. The following are seven techniques to protect the health of your ears and hearing.

To prevent damage to your hearing caused by loud noises, you should use earmuffs or earplugs. Hearing loss can be caused by damage to the sensitive hair cells found in the inner ear, which can be caused by loud noises. Protecting your hearing and minimizing the amount of noise that gets into your ears can be accomplished by donning earmuffs or earplugs.

Clean Your Ears

When you need to clean your ears, avoid using cotton swabs. It can seem like a good idea to use cotton swabs to clean the inside of your ears but doing so can actually push wax and debris further into your ear canal, which could result in harm to your hearing. It is preferable to either let your ears clean themselves naturally or seek the assistance of an audiologist in order to ensure that your ears are properly cleaned.

Check your hearing at regular intervals. Hearing loss can be detected at an earlier stage and treated more effectively if a person visits an audiologist on a regular basis to have their hearing evaluated.

Avoid Loud Noises

Make sure you use headphones or earphones and keep the volume at a safe level. If the volume is turned up too high, damaging your hearing while listening to music or other audio using headphones or earbuds can be an option. Be sure to maintain a safe volume level and take frequent breaks from listening to music so that your ears can recover from the strain.

When engaging in activities that involve exposure to loud noises, it is important to wear hearing protection. If you have a profession or participate in activities that put you in close proximity to loud noises, such as working with power tools or firing weapons, it is imperative that you protect your hearing by wearing the appropriate gear. Earmuffs, earplugs, in the in-the-ear (ITE), behind-the-ear (BTE) or in-the-canal (ITC) styles are examples of this type of hearing protection.

Avoid Smoking

Try to avoid smoking and being around others who are smoking. The risk of hearing loss and other health problems is increased both by the act of smoking and by being exposed to secondhand smoke. If you smoke, you should seriously consider quitting so that you can safeguard both your hearing and your entire health.

Take Breaks

Take regular breaks from using any electronic gadgets that produce loud noises. It is possible to cause permanent damage to your hearing by using electronic gadgets like cell phones, laptops and tablets for extended periods of time. Be sure to give your ears a rest every so often and take pauses from utilizing these electronic devices. You can also take breaks from your hearing aids, if needed.

Avoid Certain Medications

Steer clear of any medicines that could potentially harm your hearing. Hearing loss can be a side effect of taking some pharmaceuticals, including certain antibiotics and chemotherapy treatments. If you are taking medications that could potentially cause damage to your hearing, you should discuss this with your healthcare provider and think about other treatment alternatives.

Get immunized against certain infections. Hearing loss can be caused by a number of diseases, including meningitis, measles and others. Getting vaccinated is one of the best ways to protect yourself from these diseases and lower your chances of suffering from hearing loss. Talk to your audiologist about what could cause hearing loss.

Eating Certain Foods

Consume food that is good for you. A diet that is abundant in fruits, vegetables and other nutrients can assist maintain general health and there is some evidence to suggest that it may also minimize the chance of hearing loss.

Staying Hydrated

The maintenance of overall health, including the quality of one’s hearing, is dependent upon enough hydration. Make it a point to keep hydrated throughout the day by consuming sufficient amounts of fluids at regular intervals.

You may assist in the protection of your ears and preserve good hearing health by adhering to these straightforward actions. You can reach Albuquerque Hearing and Balance at (505) 750-9569 if you are interested in learning more about the health of your hearing and the treatments that are available.