Protect Your Hearing
We all know that with age, comes loss of hearing. We’ve all seen the comedy sketches which feature grandparents comically mishearing people. Most people assume that they will need hearing aids eventually and that there’s no solution. This is simply not the case!
Hearing is largely affected by environmental factors, and there’s actually a lot you can do to prolong and protect your hearing!
Defend Your Hearing; Shield Your Ears!
Starting with the obvious, whenever you find yourself in a loud environment, be it at work or in your leisure time, wear ear protection! Specialised ear protection will kill off any sound over a certain threshold, meaning you can stay in the loud environment knowing your hearing is completely safe, for longer. Anything at or above 85dB will damage your hearing over time.
Turn The Volume Down Now…
Most people use earphones or headphones to listen to music, and many of them do not realise when the volume is too high! This is especially bad with ear plugs as they’re often pushed in fairly close to the ear drum, which increases the volume even further.
…So You Don’t Have To Turn It Up Later!
The Calm After The Storm…
Whenever you find yourself exposed to loud sounds for a prolonged period of time, for example, at a concert; your ears need time to recover. Taking a 5 minute break from the loud noise can allow your ears time to repair.
Furthermore, researchers have found your ears need an average of 16 hours of quiet after a loud night out.
Only Take Medication When Directed To!
Certain medications such as Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and Aspirin are actually ototoxic, meaning they can damage your hearing. This is something not many people are aware of, and take these medications liberally. Try to only take medication as directed by a doctor to minimise the damage done by drugs to your hearing.
Keep Your Ears Dry!
Keeping your ears dry is very important, and many people mistakenly wash their ears in the shower or bath. Ears are self-cleaning; there’s no need! In fact, excess moisture in the ear canal allows harmful bacteria to enter and reproduce, increasing your risk of ear infections such as swimmer’s ear, which can be dangerous to your hearing ability! You can keep your ears dry at all times around water by purchasing specialised swim ear plugs, which prevent any water from entering the ear canal.
If you are concerned about your hearing, or would like some advice regarding best practices, please feel free to book an appointment
