The first thing to do, when you start to recognize that you have hearing loss, is to eliminate added damage. After all, you can take some basic measures to stop further damage and protect your ears.
Step 1: Clean Your Ears
Did you clean behind your ears? It’s one of those initial hygiene lessons you learn (or should have learned), right? In terms of hearing health, though, we aren’t worried about the space behind your ears, but rather your inner ears.
There are multiple ways that keeping your ears free from wax can assist your hearing:
- Your ability to hear can also be interfered with if you get a severe ear infection which can also be caused by dirty ears. When your ear infection goes away, your regular hearing will usually come back.
- Sound can be blocked from getting into the inner ear when there’s too much wax buildup. This diminishes your ability to hear.
- Over time, neglected hearing loss can impact your brain and your ability to interpret sounds.
- Earwax buildup also inhibits the functionality of your hearing aid if you have one. You may end up thinking that your hearing is going downhill because of this.
You never resort to the use of a cotton swab to attempt to dig out excess earwax. In most cases, a cotton swab will make things worse or cause additional damage. Alternatively, use over-the-counter ear drops.
Step 2: Avoid Loud Noises
This one should almost be left off the list it’s so obvious. But determining how loud is too loud is the real difficulty for most individuals. As an example, freeway driving can be loud enough to damage your ears over a long time period. Also, surprisingly, your lawn mower can take a toll on your hearing. Obviously, it’s more than rock concerts or loud speakers that cause hearing impairment.
Some useful ways to stay away from harmful noises include:
- Using an app on your phone to notify you when decibel levels get to hazardous thresholds.
- Wearing hearing protection when loud environments are unavoidable. Do you work on a noisy factory floor? Going to see a rock concert? That’s great. But be certain to use the appropriate protection for your hearing. A perfect example would be earmuffs and earplugs.
- When you’re listening to music or watching videos keep the volume on your headphones at a manageable volume. Most phones include built-in alerts when you’re nearing a dangerous level.
The damage to your ears from loud sounds will build up gradually. So, even if your hearing “feels” fine after a loud event, it may not be. You can only get a clean bill of health for your ears by a hearing specialist.
Step #3: If You Have Any Hearing Loss – Have it Treated
In general, hearing impairment is cumulative. So catching any damage early on will help prevent added injury. So in terms of slowing down hearing loss, treatment is so essential. Your hearing will be at the greatest advantage if you seek out and follow through on effective treatment.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Our advice will help you learn to protect your hearing because it is customized and personalized for you.
- Some, but not all damage can be avoided by wearing hearing aids. For example, hearing aids will stop you from cranking your television volume up so loud it harms your ears. Because hearing aids counter this damage, they can also stop further degeneration of your hearing.
- Hearing aids minimize the brain strain and social isolation that exacerbate hearing loss-related health problems.
Decreasing Hearing Loss Will Benefit You in The Long Run
Although it’s true that there’s no cure for hearing loss, getting treatment for your hearing loss will help stop further damage. In many cases, hearing aids are one of the main ways to accomplish that. The appropriate treatment will help you preserve your present level of hearing and prevent it from worsening.
When you wear hearing protection, exercise good hygiene, and obtain hearing loss treatment, you’re taking the appropriate measures to limit hearing loss while also giving yourself the best opportunity for healthy hearing in the future.