Pizza is a fascinating thing. You can change the toppings, sauces, even the cheeses involved, but as long as it meets a few basic criteria, it’s still a pizza. That’s similar to hearing loss. But as long as you have difficulty hearing sound, it’s still hearing loss regardless of whether it’s due to genetic factors, age, blockages, or exposure to loud noise.
Minimizing the damage is the first step you should take when confronted with hearing loss of any type. You can, after all, take some basic measures to limit further damage and protect your ears.
Tip 1: Keep your ears clean
Did you clean behind your ears? It’s one of those early hygiene lessons you learn, or should have learned, right? But it’s inside of your ears that we’re worried about here, when it comes to hearing health, not behind your ears.
There are various ways that earwax accumulation can impact your hearing:
- When wax buildup becomes substantial, it can stop soundwaves from reaching your inner ear. Because of this, your ability to hear becomes decreased.
- If you use a hearing aid, earwax can also impact that. This may make it seem as though your hearing is getting worse.
- Your chance of developing an ear infection is elevated if your ears aren’t kept clean and that can cause swelling which will impede your hearing. Your hearing will normally go back to normal when the infection clears.
If you observe earwax accumulation, it’s absolutely not recommended that you dig around in there with a cotton swab. Cotton swabs can lead to damage and will usually make the problem worse. Over-the-counter ear drops are recommended instead.
Tip 2: Avoid loud noises that could cause hearing loss
This is so obvious that it kind of goes without saying. But what precisely comprises a “loud sound”? A highway, for example, can be loud enough that over a long period of time, it can harm your ears. Your ears can also be harmed by frequent usage of your lawn mower. Clearly, other things besides rock concerts or blaring speakers can damage your ears.
Some useful ways to avoid damaging noises include:
- Abstaining from turning up the volume on your headphones when you’re viewing videos or listening to music. When approaching dangerous levels, most headphones have a built-in warning.
- Using an app on your phone to alert you when decibel levels reach dangerous levels.
- Using hearing protection when loud settings are unavoidable. Are you working on the floor of a noisy factory? It’s fine if you want to go to that rock concert. But you should use the correct hearing protection. Contemporary earmuffs and earplugs offer adequate protection.
There’s a gradual development to hearing loss that’s due to loud sound. So don’t simply assume that your hearing is fine after a loud event, even if it feels fine. Only if you come in for a hearing exam can we give your ears a clean bill of health.
Tip 3: If you have any hearing loss, deal with it
Generally speaking, hearing loss is cumulative. So, the sooner you catch the damage, the better you’ll be able to avoid added damage. That’s why treatment is tremendously important in terms of minimizing hearing loss. Practical treatments (on which you follow through) will leave your hearing in the best possible situation.
Here’s how treatments work:
- Hearing aids can prevent some, but not all, damage. If you’re wearing hearing aids, for example, you won’t always need to turn volumes up to damaging levels. Because hearing aids prevent this damage, they can also prevent further degeneration of your hearing.
- Hearing aids prevent the brain strain and social isolation that exacerbate hearing loss-related health problems.
- When you come in and see us we will provide individualized instructions and advice to help you steer clear of further damage to your ears.
Over the long haul, you will be helped by wearing hearing aids
Even though we can’t cure hearing loss, we are doing hard work to help you minimize further damage. In many cases, hearing loss treatment is one of the main ways to achieve that. Your current level of hearing will be maintained and hearing loss will be prevented from getting worse with the correct treatment.
When you use hearing protection, practice good hygiene, and get hearing loss treatment with us, you’re taking the proper steps to limit hearing loss while also giving yourself the best opportunity for healthy hearing in the future.
