Isn’t pizza interesting? As long as a few criteria are met, you can adjust toppings, cheese, and sauce, and it’s still a pizza. Hearing loss is similar. Symptoms and presentations are caused by a number of different problems, loud noises, genetic factors, age, or ear obstructions, but as long as you have a hard time detecting sounds, it’s still hearing loss.
Normally, when you’re facing hearing loss (regardless of the variety), the first thing you need to do is try to minimize the damage. You can, after all, take some basic measures to limit further damage and protect your ears.
Tip 1: Clean your ears
When you were younger, you likely were taught that you need to wash behind your ears. When it comes to hearing health, we’re not worried about the parts behind your ears, but rather your inner ears.
Keeping your ears clear of wax buildup can help your hearing in a number of different ways:
- If you use a hearing aid, earwax can also interfere with that. This might give you the impression that your hearing is starting to fail.
- Unkempt ears increase your chances of developing an ear infection, which creates swelling that when severe enough, impedes your hearing. When your ear infection clears, your normal hearing will normally return (but that’s something you should talk to a doctor about).
- Sound waves going to your ears can be impeded when a significant amount of earwax builds up. As a result, your ability to hear becomes reduced.
A cotton swab is definitely not the correct tool to use to clear any earwax that you may have noticed out and is strongly discouraged. In most cases, a cotton swab will make things worse or cause additional damage. Over-the-counter ear drops are encouraged instead.
Tip 2: Avoid loud sounds that could contribute to hearing loss
This one is so intuitive it practically shouldn’t be on this list. But what precisely constitutes a “loud sound”? A freeway, for example, can be loud enough that over an extended period of time, it can harm your ears. Your ears can also be damaged by regular use of your lawn mower. As you can see, it’s not just blaring speakers or raucous rock concerts that damage your ears.
Some useful ways to prevent damaging noises include:
- When you’re listening to tunes or viewing videos, keep the volume of your headphones at safe levels. The majority of phones offer built-in warnings when you’re nearing a hazardous limit.
- When decibel levels become dangerously loud, you can make use of an app on your phone to alert you.
- When you need to be in a noisy setting, utilize hearing protection. Do you work on a loud industrial floor? It’s fine if you want to go to that rock concert. But you should use the correct hearing protection. You can get adequate protection with modern earmuffs and earplugs.
There’s a slow advancement to hearing loss that’s due to loud sound. So don’t simply assume that your hearing is fine after a noisy event, even if it feels fine. Only if you come in and see us can we give your ears a clean bill of health.
Tip 3: If you have any hearing loss, deal with it
In most instances, hearing loss accumulates gradually over an extended time period. So, the sooner you recognize the damage, the better you’ll be able to prevent additional damage. In terms of hearing loss, that’s why treatment is so crucial. Your hearing will be in the best situation if you get treatment and implement it.
Here’s how treatments work:
- Hearing loss-related health problems that are exacerbated by social isolation and brain strain can be avoided by wearing hearing aids.
- Hearing aids can prevent some, but not all, damage. If you’re using hearing aids, for instance, you won’t always need to turn volumes up to damaging levels. This will prevent further noise-related damage.
- We will help you avoid additional damage to your ears by providing you with individualized guidance when you come in for a consultation.
Limit hearing loss – it will benefit you over the long haul
Although we’re not able to cure hearing loss, we are putting in hard work to help you minimize additional damage. Treatment of hearing loss is usually one of the best approaches to that. The correct treatment will help you protect your current level of hearing and prevent it from getting worse.
You’re taking the appropriate measures to limit hearing loss and put yourself in the best position to continue to have healthy hearing if you practice good hygiene, utilize ear protection, and come see us for regular hearing tests.
