7 Tips To Take Care Of Your Hearing

By Author: Cynthia Nardelli
Total Articles: 3
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Contrary to popular belief, losing your hearing isn't an inevitable function of aging. Researchers and audiologists now understand that a wide range of factors can contribute to hearing loss- and the list is more extensive than you might think. Making proactive lifestyle changes now, can help prevent premature hearing loss.

1. Everyday Noise Protection

Noisy machinery, like lawnmowers and leaf blowers, reduce the number of cilia in your ear canal, making it difficult to receive sound. Wearing industrial headphones helps protect your ears, and your hearing.

2. Avoid Loud Environments

You don't have to be the band's sound technician to experience hearing loss. Concerts and construction zones are just two examples of environments that can damage your hearing. This is why many unions require construction workers to have their hearing tested multiple times each year. Protecting your ears and avoiding intense volumes of sound will do a world of good for your hearing.

3. Wear Noise-Canceling Headphones

Reading in a restaurant or airport can be difficult, especially with all the background noise. ...
... Instead of cranking up your iPod to drown out the background noise, put on a pair of noise-canceling headphones. This reduces the overall noise pollution without exposing your ears to additional strain.

4. Keep Your Blood Sugar In Check

As if diabetes wasn't damaging enough, the National Institute of Health reports that suffering from diabetes makes you twice as likely to experience hearing loss. Get your blood sugar levels checked regularly by your doctor to address any imbalances while they're in the pre-diabetic state.

5. Quit Smoking

Smoking doesn't just damage your breathing. It literally suffocates cells throughout your body, including those inside your ear canal. Dried out skin cells struggle to replace the cilia necessary to pick up sound waves.

6. Keep Ear Phones Outside Your Ear Canal

Ear buds might be comfortable and convenient, but they also wreck havoc on your hearing. Earphones themselves were never considered a hearing-friendly device. Ear buds, however, intensify hearing damage by producing concentrated, intense sound from just outside your ear canal.

7. Never Stick Anything Inside Your Ear Canal

It can be tempting to remove earwax by inserting cotton swabs and other stick-like devices into your ear canal. Don't do it. Not only can q-tips, and other similar tools, damage your hearing by puncturing your ear drum, they can also inadvertently create an uncomfortable buildup by pushing wax and debris further inside your ear canal. Always see a specialist if your ears feel clogged, itchy or irritated. Only a licensed medical professional has the tools and expertise to safely and effectively remove buildup inside your ear canals.

Cynthia Nardelli, certified Audiologist and owner of Nardelli Audiology since 1991, has over 25 years of experience. Cindy has a BS in Speech Pathology & Audiology, and M.S. in Audiology from WVU. A native of Pittsburgh, Cindy has lived in Clarksburg since 1986 and specializes in the fitting of advanced technology in digital hearing instrument systems. Visit our Hearing Aid Blog to stay updated on current technology.