5 Tips for Optimal Ear Health
Hearing is one of the most essential body senses, and with hearing issues affecting millions of people globally, hearing health needs to be handled with care. Unfortunately, many people forget about their ears until they experience problems such as infections and hearing loss.
While medications are available to help with most ear problems, prevention is the best way to keep your ears healthy. Proper ear health involves more than just avoiding loud noises; there are various steps you can take to ensure your long-term auditory health. Here are some simple tips for ensuring optimal ear health.
Protect Yourself From Loud Noise
Keeping your ears safe is essential for maintaining good ear health. Your ears can sustain irreversible damage when exposed to consistently loud noises, such as those of construction sites and concerts. Fortunately, you can prevent this damage by using hearing protection. These range from foam earplugs to specialized noise-canceling headphones.
Manage Stress
Stressful situations can affect your hearing in several ways. First, it can increase your blood pressure and adrenaline levels in your body, triggering tinnitus and affecting the brain’s auditory functions by adding unusual pressure to the system. It can also stop or minimize circulation to your ears, resulting in gradual or sudden hearing loss in some cases.
Additionally, too much stress for too long can lead to anxiety and depression, which may prevent you from partaking in activities that are beneficial for ear health, such as exercise and self-care.
To keep your ears healthy and functioning correctly, it’s essential to find ways to manage stress and anxiety, like relaxation techniques such as yoga and mindfulness. You can also find an enjoyable way to unwind after a stressful day, set realistic goals and priorities, and talk openly about your emotions with people who will listen without judgment.
Minimize Exposure to Loud Noise
One of the most critical steps to maintaining your hearing health is to limit your exposure to loud noise. When sound reaches 85 decibels or higher, it can cause damage if continued over time. This includes exposure to various factors like loud music, machinery vibrations, and even prolonged exposure to loud conversations in a noisy environment.
It’s important to recognize and protect yourself from consistently high sound levels by wearing ear protection when necessary and taking breaks away from noisy spaces or environments. You can also pay attention to volume settings on your tech devices like headphones or speakers to avoid damaging your ears unknowingly.
Keep Your Ears Dry
Keeping your ears dry is essential for optimal ear health and preventing conditions such as ear infections, hearing loss, and swimmer’s ear. If your ears stay in a moist environment for an extended period, it can create the perfect breeding ground for bacteria to develop. This bacteria can cause painful infections, obstruction of the inner ear, and even damage the delicate tissues inside your ear.
To prevent these issues, it’s essential to try to keep your ears as dry as possible. While showering or swimming, prevent water from getting into your ears. You can also protect your ears with a towel when shampooing or conditioning your hair, so water does not run into your ears.
While swimming there are many advantages of swimming earplugs, such as equalizing pressure during deep diving, avoiding extreme temperature changes while swimming, and keeping water out of your ears. For these reasons, consider getting custom-made or standard ones for better ear protection. Finally, always dry off your external auditory canal gently after being exposed to moisture.
Exercise Regularly
Staying physically active is extremely important for optimal ear health. Exercise helps strengthen your immune system, reduces inflammation, and boosts circulation in the body, including the brain and ears. This helps ensure that your ear receives sufficient circulation to function correctly.
Regular exercise can also help improve balance and prevent dizziness. It may even help delay age-related hearing loss, such as presbycusis. Exercise can also help you cope better with tinnitus while improving overall feelings of well-being. Exercise doesn’t have to be extreme; you can start small with simple activities like walking or cleaning your home, then work your way up to more exerting activities.
While we give it little attention, ear health is just as important as cardiovascular health. Some simple tips to help you have perfect ear health include keeping your ears dry, avoiding and protecting yourself from loud noises, managing stress and anxiety, and exercising regularly. These simple tips can help prevent hearing loss or damage and keep your hearing sharp for years to come. Remember, if you experience any issues with your hearing, you need to seek medical attention immediately. You can avoid the common pitfalls that lead to poor ear health with a bit of care.
