Many people think about how they will take care of their eyesight or their teeth. But only a small minority focuses on their hearing health.
Why this is the case is still largely unknown. After all, everyone relies on their hearing every day, and yet protecting one’s ears isn’t a general part of the culture.
Fortunately, taking care of your hearing health is less complex than you might think. While it is something you’ll need to dedicate some energy to, it’s not the same as eating a healthy diet or exercising. The interventions are much smaller and don’t require huge amounts of effort.
Clean Your Ears Safely
You’ll want to start by cleaning your ears safely. Removing earwax in the right way can protect the surrounding tissues from damage.
Don’t clean your ears using implements or cotton swabs. These can push the earwax deeper into the ear, making it more compact and harder to remove. The best approach is to go to a wax removal specialist who can get rid of it for a small fee.
Wear Hearing Protection
You also want to wear hearing protection when necessary. Earplugs and earmuffs are critical in situations like construction sites and concerts where the noise levels easily reach into unsafe territory.
How long you can expose your ears to loud noises above 85 dB depends on the duration of exposure. Ideally, you want zero exposure to loud noises at all, but ear protection becomes necessary once you go above this level.
If the noise is above 100 dB, you need to be even more careful. A few minutes at this level can cause ear damage.
And anything above 120 dB is quite dangerous indeed. Even a few seconds of exposure could lead to hearing issues.
Use And Clean Your Hearing Aids
You can also take care of your hearing by using and cleaning your hearing aids properly. Wearing them regularly ensures you continue training the auditory areas of your brain, while cleaning them helps them last longer and reduces the risk of infections.
Your audiologist should be able to tell you when and how to clean your hearing aids. For the most part, it is quite a simple process and just involves wiping them down and removing any gunk from the battery compartment.
Reduce Stress And Get More Sleep
Taking care of your hearing health also requires reducing stress and getting more sleep. If you’re living life in the fast lane, it can lead to worsening of conditions like tinnitus and hearing sensitivity (where loud noises cause you discomfort).
Listen To Headphones At 60 Percent Of Their Maximum Volume
Finally, you’ll want to listen to your headphones at 60% of their max volume. Going higher than this for prolonged periods is dangerous, especially when enjoying music.
Taking breaks between listening sessions is also critical. Constantly listening to music through headphones can be dangerous because the concentrated energy can damage the small hair-like structures in the inner ear.
So, there you have it: some of the ways you can take care of your hearing health.
