One of the most neglected health issues is hearing. In fact, rarely does anyone get a hearing checkup unless a serious hearing problem is involved.
Most people hardly take care of their hearing and go to concerts, blast music at full volume, socialise at noisy bars and attend sports events. These activities, no matter how fun they seem, actually play a significant factor in hearing health.
If you want to start taking care of your hearing health and minimise your exposure to hearing damage, read up! These are the typical activities that can cause hearing loss in the long term:
Using Cotton Swabs
It’s common to use cotton swabs to clean your ears, especially after taking a shower. However, it is a bad habit that may actually damage your hearing.
Hearing specialists don’t recommend using cotton swabs when cleaning ears since accidents can happen. The worst case is that you perforate your eardrums and cause adverse outcomes for your hearing health.
Ears are self-cleaning organs that stop foreign objects like bugs and ants from entering. If you have an earwax problem, you need to visit your doctor or ask for a free hearing test from an audiologist. Your medical professional should be able to tell you the best solution to your problem.
Blasting Loud Music
Teenagers and young adults are more susceptible to noise-induced hearing loss due to the unsafe use of audio devices. Listening to music on your earbuds or headphones may be a way of creating your own space, but it also causes health consequences.
Blasting music to your ears can often lead to hearing complications. Studies reveal that listening to music with headphones at a maximum of 60 per cent volume for a maximum of 60 minutes per day is the ideal way of protecting yourself from excessive noise exposure.
It’s better to purchase headphones than earbuds since the latter sit closer to the eardrums and may lead to hearing complications.
Not Wearing Hearing Protection
If you work in a loud environment or attend loud events, you might be more prone to having hearing complications. If you work in a construction site, go to concerts, mow your lawn and need to shout at the person next to you to hear your voice, that’s an instance where your hearing could get damaged.
High sound levels are dangerous to your hearing health and may even lead to permanent hearing loss. If you feel like you cannot hear properly after doing any of these things, get a free hearing test to implement rehabilitation.
Not Keeping Your Ears Dry
The middle part of the ear that houses the eardrum is an air-filled cavity. That means excess moisture may cause imbalance and allow bacteria to pass through. That can infect the ear canal and cause swimmer’s ear and other ear infection types.
You should gently dry your ears after swimming or taking a shower. Use tissue spears or a towel, then lightly tilt your head to one side to let the water out. Tug on your earlobe softly. If sounds around you seem muffled, visit your doctor for a hearing checkup.
Conclusion
You should take precautions and take care of your hearing health now, instead of waiting for something serious to happen. Some hearing complications may build up over time, and some of them lead to severe issues like hearing loss. So take better care of your hearing today!
CH Care is an independent, locally owned and operated business specialising in hearing assessments, hearing aid fitting and maintenance and complete hearing healthcare. We provide country Australians complete hearing care solutions from Echuca to Broken Hill, VIC. Get in touch with us today, and let’s talk about your hearing!
