There are a few things that if you don’t take care of you’re going to need a lot of help. Your eyesight, your teeth and your hearing. Of course your general health matters too but there have been some serious leaps in things like veneers for teeth, glasses and contact lenses – not to mention laser eye surgery and plenty of hearing aid technology and solutions available to you. I’ve talked about taking care of yourself on social. It’s very important to me to share information that can help in everyday life.
Self-care includes many things, let’s talk about your hearing, and how you can protect it in the coming years. Once your hearing is damaged, the impact is usually lasting. This is why it is imperative to implement some things in your life that will look after your hearing. Don’t think that you can wait until you feel like there might be an issue, by then it is usually too late. Here’s something you didn’t know, the hubs has some hearing loss from his duty as an infantryman when he was in the Army his first tour.
Sharing a few tips to keep your ears in tip-top condition for years to come.
Photo Credit: Unsplash Simon Abrams
Stress
This one often surprises people. Stress and anxiety can have a significant impact on your hearing. In fact, they have been linked to both permanent and temporary tinnitus. Which is a phantom ringing in your ears. If you are in a constant state of high stress, your body will remain in fight or flight mode. This instinct fills your body with adrenaline, ready to help you run away from danger – or of course, fight the danger. The process places a lot of pressure on your blood flow, nerves, your body heat, and so much more. It is thought that the pressure of stress travels up to your inner ear and contributes to the phantom ringing.
Cotton Swabs
Most people misuse cotton swabs. Many people use them to clean wax and dirt from the ear canal, but that isn’t actually good for your ears. Regardless of how good it feels when you are doing it. A little bit of was in your ears is a good thing. It stops other bits of dirt and debris getting into the canal and causing all kinds of damage. Many people have damaged their eardrums by forcing the tip of the cotton swab too far into their ear canal.
If you have hard wax or find they are excessively waxy, you can gently clean around the ear canal with a damp towel. There are also ear wax solutions that you can use to break down waxy build up over the space of a few days. The wax will soften up and fall away. However, whatever you do with your ears should be gentle, and if you are in doubt about what is going on, then get in touch with your doctor.
Loud Noises
If you work in a noisy environment or are partial to mowing the lawn a lot – you might be doing irreparable damage. Loud club music, lawnmowers, chainsaws, all have booming noises, and if it forces the person next to you to need to shout to be heard, it’s too loud. Getting a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs is a great way to protect your ears. They aren’t too expensive, and you can even get ear plugs that mould to the shape of your ear so you can use them over and over again.
Musician earplugs are great because they are designed to block out loud noises, but let you hear the person next to you clearly.
Turn It Down
If you are partial to listening to music and movies on your headphone, then the chances are you are guilty of having them turn too loud. According to WHO, 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are risking the health of their ears by having their music turned up too loud. Most mobiles come with a notification that tells you when you are reaching unsafe levels (if you choose to listen).
If there is no way you are going to give up listening to music on your headphones, then you might like to consider the 60/60 rule. This means you listen to music for a maximum of 60 minutes at 60% volume – which is much more palatable than losing your hearing for good.
Rest Them
Have you ever said to someone – you’re falling asleep! And the response is – I’m resting my eyes? Well, you really should rest your ears. If you have been to a club, or a live music event, the chances are your ears were ringing on the way home. If you aren’t giving them time to rest, that is when problems will start to occur.
Simply switch off the TV, turn your music off and read for a while. Giving your ears a rest of 16 hours after you have been listening to loud sounds or music is the right amount of time for them to recover.
Dry Them
This might sound like a basic tip. But if you are a lover of swimming, saunas, or plunging your head into a bath, then you need to take care to dry your ears every time. The extra moisture will let bacteria into your ear canal, which will, in turn, attack your ears. This can be very painful and is referred to as swimmer’s ear.
After every dip in the pool, gently dry around your ear. You can tip your head to the side to let any excess water run out too. You could also start wearing swimmers earplugs. They will block water from entering the ear canal completely, and you will no longer be at risk from swimmer’s ear.
Regular Checkups
The best way to get a good grip on your hearing is to make sure that you attend regular checkups from your doctor. If you feel anything is amiss, or that you find yourself saying ‘what?’ a lot after people have said something to you, it might be worth booking an additional appointment.
Taking preventative action is the best way to make sure that you maintain full hearing for as long as possible. Of course, as we age hearing doesn’t slowly deteriorate, but you can maximize the years you get by taking care now.
I like your idea to rest your ears after listening to really loud things. My grandpa’s hearing is starting to go a little. We’re thinking of getting him a hearing aid for his birthday.
Thanks for your comment Johnny!