Generally, when you’re first notice hearing loss (no matter the variety), the first thing you should do is attempt to limit the damage. There are, in fact, some straightforward steps you can take to protect your hearing and minimize further hearing loss.
Step 1: Keep Your Ears Clean
Did you clean behind your ears? It’s one of those first hygiene lessons you learn (or should have learned), right? In terms of hearing health, however, we aren’t concerned with the areas behind your ears, but rather your inner ears.
Keeping your ears clear of wax accumulation can help your hearing in many different ways:
- Earwax buildup also interferes with the operation of your hearing aid if you have one. You may end up thinking that your hearing is going downhill because of this.
- When wax accumulation becomes substantial, it can prevent sound from getting into your inner ear. This reduces your ability to hear.
- In the long run, neglected hearing loss can affect your brain and your ability to interpret sounds.
- Untidy ears raise your chances of developing an ear infection, which leads to inflammation that (when severe enough) interferes with your hearing. Your hearing will return to normal after the ear infection clears.
If you notice earwax accumulation, it’s absolutely not advisable that you dig around in there with a cotton swab. Further damage can be caused by cotton swabs and they will often make it even harder to hear. Instead, use over-the-counter ear drops.
Step 2: Avoid Loud Noises
This one should almost be left off the list it’s so obvious. The problem is that most people are hard-pressed to define what a “loud noise” actually is. Over a long time period, for example, your hearing can be damaged by driving on a busy highway. Your lawnmower motor can be pretty taxing on your ears, too. Clearly, it’s more than rock concerts or loud speakers that cause hearing damage.
Here are a few ways to stay away from damaging noise:
- Wearing hearing protection when noisy environments can’t be avoided. Does your job put you on the floor of a noisy manufacturing plant? Going to a rock concert? That’s great. But be certain to wear the proper protection for your ears. A perfect illustration would be earmuffs and earplugs.
- Staying away from cranking up the volume on your headphones when you’re watching videos or listening to music. Most phones feature built-in alerts when you’re nearing a dangerous threshold.
- Utilizing an app on your phone to notify you when volume levels get to hazardous levels.
The damage to your hearing from loud sounds will build up slowly. So, even if your hearing “seems” fine after a loud event, it may not be. 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
In general, hearing loss is cumulative. So, the sooner you catch the damage, the better you’ll be capable of preventing additional damage. That’s why treatment is incredibly important in terms of limiting hearing loss. Your hearing will be at the greatest advantage if you seek out and follow through on practical treatment.
Here’s how treatments work:
- Some, but not all damage can be avoided by using hearing aids. Hearing aids will, for instance, allow you to listen to the TV or music at a lower volume, avoiding damage. Hearing aids will prevent further deterioration of your hearing by stopping this damage.
- Hearing aids minimize the brain strain and social solitude that worsen hearing loss-related health problems.
- Our advice will help you learn to safeguard your hearing because it is customized and personalized for you.
You Will be Benefited in The Long Run by Decreasing Hearing Loss
Even though we can’t cure hearing loss, further damage can be avoided with treatment. One of the principal ways to do that, in many instances, is hearing aids. The appropriate treatment will help you preserve your present level of hearing and prevent it from worsening.
Your allowing yourself the best opportunity for healthy hearing into the future by using ear protection, getting the appropriate treatment, and practicing good hearing hygiene.